Pokemon Legend
by C War
Summary: The sequel to Pokemon Adventure. Chris and Gloria continue together, preparing for their future while worrying about enemies. But what does the future have in store for them? Rated M, mostly for violence.
1. Cianwood Conversations

"Well, I guess this is goodbye." Caroline wiped away a tear as she gave them both quick hugs. 

"We'll see you again, don't worry." Gloria looked like she might shed a tear, too. 

"Yeah, it's not 'goodbye', it's 'see you later'." Chris almost felt like laughing at how she was reacting, but was able to keep his face somber. 

"Well, I need to go drum up some business. Bye!" 

"Until we meet again, Caroline." They waved as she walked off into town. 

"Lugia, come on out!" Lugia appeared before them, resting in the water. "Yes?" 

"Could you give us a ride?" 

"But of course. Where to?" 

"Cianwood." 

"As you wish, Gloria. Get on." Chris and Gloria walked along his wings and sat on his back. He then took off, heading south east to Johto. 

"So, Gloria, you said your dad's the gym leader there?" 

"Yeah. Mom's a tougher fighter, but dad's better with Pokemon." 

"Maybe I'll challenge him while we're there." 

"Not like it matters, since we're already League Champions." 

"Heh, I guess you're right. Still be worth the challenge, though." 

"If you two don't mind," Lugia called back "I would like to visit my own home in the Whirl Islands." 

"No problem." 

"Yeah, what she said. We've got nothing urgent planned." 

"I've heard those caves are pretty cool. Mind if we come with you?" 

"Not at all. I'd prefer it, actually." 

They flew on in silence for a while, Gloria and Chris holding hands while Lugia glided along on the ocean breezes. Soon the island came into view. "I've never seen it from this angle before. It's really quite beautiful," Gloria commented. 

"I'm looking forward to getting down there." 

"So am I, sort of. I'm betting most people know about our league victory down there already." 

"Considering that they knew about it on the St. Anne over a week ago and that this is your hometown, I'd be surprised if they _didn't_ know." 

"Hold on, you two, we're coming in for a landing!" Lugia angled downward, and they descended towards the island.

"Hey, I'm home!" Gloria opened the doors to the Cianwood Gym, and was met by her mother hugging her. And then wrestling her to the ground.

"1, 2, 3…" Chuck cut off counting as his daughter turned her mother over, pinning her swiftly.

"Sorry, Mom, I'm not going down that easy." Chuck got to a full count of ten, and Gloria got up.

"So, you've finally surpassed me."

"That I have, Mom."

"And you're Chris. Good to meet you."

"Likewise, Chuck."

"So, Chris, I have to assume you're the source of this ring on my daughter's finger, right?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Heh, no one's going to be surprised to hear that."

"We didn't think they would be, Dad." From there, they started talking about plans, though once she got the message that Chris had only asked Gloria that morning, her mom lay off the pressure. From there, they moved to lunch. And a fateful question.

"So, dear, how are your Pokemon?" her mom asked.

Gloria broke into tears anew, thinking of Metang. She pulled out his Pokeball, now coated in blue metal, and her parents understood.

"He...sacrificed himself...to save us," Chris managed, choking on the words. After lunch, they made a small shrine in the backyard of the gym, placing the blue ball in a glass box atop a stone pedestal. They then related their story...

"...And then Kyogre returned to his ball back to normal," Chris told them.

"After that, Lugia spoke to me, asking to come with me on our journey," Gloria finished.

Her parents stood there, stunned. So much had happened to the pair in the short time since they had met, the two of them had a hard time grasping it all. "Dear, it sounds like you two have earned a good long rest" her mom said.

"Or at least a short rest. Chris, you're welcome to stay here, too." Chuck gave him a hearty pat on the back.

"Thanks, Mom, Dad."

"Yes, thanks for the lodgings, Chuck."

They fell silent after that, and then dispersed. Chris walked out to the bay, and brought Kyogre out of his Pokeball. "Welcome back, Kyogre." Chris rested his hand on his friend's head.

"Back? From where?"

"From a lot of things. If you don't remember, I understand, since you were under Archie's control."

"That would explain why I have no clue how we got from Lilycove to Cianwood."

"Yesterday we released you from Archie's control, which was forcing you to create a Deluge in the Orange Islands."

"So, the Shamouti Prophecy has come to pass?"

"Uh, yeah." Chris was surprised for a moment, then realized that Kyogre probably would know of a prophecy concerning him, as a Legendary Pokemon.

"I knew it would someday. I just didn't know how or why."

"Yeah, Archie planted some sort of device on you that allowed him to control you."

"I have to ask, what happened to him?"

"He and Giovanni are dead. So is Gloria's Metang."

"Metang? He evolved, and then died?"

"Yeah, he sacrificed himself for us."

"Just what all did I miss? Did any of the others evolve?"

"Dragonaire, Haunter, and Hitmontop. And now Lugia has joined Gloria."

"And for good reason, my old friend." Chris turned to see Lugia and Gloria approaching. "We have more to do. It would seem that many of the events that we have dreaded are tied together."

"We always feared that would be the case. Humans ripening to the levels of evil that cause them to breach those protocols at the same time. Chris, Gloria, do you mind if the two of us speak alone?"

"Go ahead. We'll wait here for you." The pair departed as their trainers watched.

"So, were you and Lugia talking about anything in particular?"

"He's worried. He senses that something is going awry, but he can't tell where or when. Just that we need to be there."

"Whatever it is, we'll take care of it. Together." Kissing her, he then held her close, sharing a moment of serenity together. So much had happened over the past few weeks, it felt good to be able to relax, even if just for a short while...


	2. Whirl Islands

The next morning, Chris and Gloria rode out to the Whirl Islands on Lugia and Kyogre. The residents of Cianwood had thrown a welcome home party for Gloria last night, putting both of them in a better mood. One of the residents, a metal worker, even offered to make a statue of Metang for the memorial. Gloria agreed, asking him to make it a composite of Beldum and Metang, since it had only evolved a few minutes before its sacrifice.

"So, this is your home, Lugia?"

"Yes, Gloria, this is where I usually roost."

"What about you, Kyogre?" Chris asked. "Legend said that you slept for millennia, but where?"

"In the depths of a cave in Hoenn that is only accessible from underwater."

"One thing I have to ask, old friend, is why you awakened."

"Yeah, I'd wondered that, too. You've been awake for a while, since you saved my life many years ago."

"I awakened about sixteen years ago, though I don't know why."

"Sixteen years...perhaps at the time of my birth?"

"That would make sense, Chris. Perhaps some part of me, the part that's most in tune with my destiny, was letting me know that important things were about to happen. Since then, I have wandered the seas, learning what I could of the modern world." The others merely nodded, understanding. As they drew nearer to the islands, Lugia took them away from the ports, towards where he roosted.

"The caves under the islands all connect, so even though the islands are separate, they are also united."

Kyogre pondered for a moment, then responded. "Sounds like if Groudon were here, he'd be able to reveal that. Feels like it, too."

"Indeed. The deepest spot, the nexus, is only about 300 feet deep."

"Let me guess, your roost is right under there?" Gloria asked.

"Actually, Gloria, my roost is behind a freshwater waterfall in there. Inside of the islands there is a network of ponds, springs, and falls, all freshwater. Else the islands would be deserted."

"I remember this place now!" Kyogre interjected. "Groudon and I crafted these islands carefully, before we began fighting one another. It was one of our greatest works, and even at the height of our fight with each other, we never dared disturb this place."

"And then I came along after you both took to sleep, when my tower in Ecruteak burned down, and made this my new home."

Gloria looked down at her mount. "You mean that the Burned Tower really used to be your roost?"

"Indeed. But I was away when it caught fire. Returning, I found only the three dead Pokemon, who Ho-oh, Celebi, and I were able to resurrect as Suicune, Entei, and Raikou."

"How do you know that Ho-oh didn't do it?" Chris asked.

"Because, he was with me, traveling through Johto. He and I are good friends. Perhaps it was Entei, in his previous form, who caused the fire. I have never asked them, though they likely know."

"Hey, I have a question," Gloria called. "What did those three used to be?"

"They were a Dewgong, a Blaziken, and an Electabuzz. The three of them guarded the two towers whenever Ho-oh and I were away."

"So that's why you were so willing to reincarnate them," Chris deduced.

"Exactly. And here we are." Looking into the large opening, they could see that it went in quite a ways. Kyogre levitated out of the water, and the four continued in. After about half a mile, the cave suddenly dropped off sharply, though the four of them descended slowly into the darkness. "Although the caves are only 100 meters below the water, they have high ceilings, so this drop is about twice that."

"How do you see down here, anyways?" Gloria asked.

"Simple." Lugia began to emit light that opened the entire cavern to their view.

"Whoa, it's huge!" Chris was awestruck as he looked around inside.

"It actually extends out to Cianwood and the Johto continent as well, although the entrances at those ends have probably not been found, since they're underwater," Kyogre responded.

"Those must be some of the smaller tunnels that I can't fit into, then, since I'd never even realized that."

They then went through the waterfall, and Lugia lounged in his pool inside, Kyogre beside him.

"No wonder you like it in here, old friend. Even if someone were coming, you could dive under and avoid them beneath the surface."

"Indeed. The underwater passage facilitates that." Chris and Gloria, now swimming, dove under and saw that there was indeed an underwater passage out of the chamber. Some Relicanth were swimming through it as they watched. Surfacing, they swam over to the small strip of beach that the cave had and lay down, ignoring the slight chill as they dried.

Suddenly, the cave was rocked with an earthquake. Chris and Gloria braced themselves near the wall, knowing they could maneuver better there than on the water if anything started falling. Fortunately, the shaking stopped before anything did.

"This does not bode well," Lugia stated, not quite calm anymore.

"Why not, Lugia?" This time it was Chris who asked.

"Because that was not a natural earthquake, nor was it a Pokemon attack."

"Groudon?" Gloria looked at Kyogre.

"No, I would sense it if it were him. This is men. I fear we do not face a warm welcome on the surface."

The trainers nodded, then jumped onto their Pokemon, just as a second quake started. Secretly hoping that it had nothing to do with them, they returned to the surface...


	3. Silver Strangers

"Radio, send in that their presence is confirmed!"

"Sir, yes sir!" A group of people in silver uniforms with yellow 'G's on their uniforms stood outside the entrance to the cavern.

"Hey, Gloria, any idea who these clowns are?"

"Not a clue, Chris. But it seems that they're here for us."

"That's right, kids. Men, fire!" Some of the grunts below fired thunder cannons at them, barely missing.

"Kyogre, wash them out! Hydro Pump!"

"Lugia, Aeroblast!"

The attacks very quickly cleared the beach, sending the men flying out to sea. "Great, now more people are after us," Chris called over to Gloria and Lugia.

"That's just great. More Rocket-caliber cronies."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that, you two," Kyogre commented.

"These guys seem that they may be better organized than the Rockets or Aquas were," Lugia added. Exchanging worried glances, they hurried back to Cianwood. They saw smoke long before they arrived.

"Mom! Dad! Hurry, Lugia!"

"You two go on ahead, we'll catch up."

"Thanks, Chris. See you there." Lugia folded his flaps and zoomed forward. Sure enough, more of the people in silver were there attacking the town. The gym and Pokemon Center were both burning. "Mom! Dad! Are you alright?"

Gloria jumped down next to the gym and darted inside, knowing that her parents were still in there. She soon heard muffled noises in an adjacent room, where she found her parents, gagged and tied to a support beam.

"I'll get you out. Tamanta, Water Sport!"

Tamanta appeared and began spraying water to douse the fire while Gloria untied her parents. "It's no good, Gloria! There's too much water for me to put it out!" Her point was emphasized as a ceiling beam fell in front of the way back out.

"Then make a way out for us! Do you two have all your Pokemon with you?" Her parents nodded. "Then use Hydro Pump and blast through the wall. We're taking a shortcut." Tamanta blasted a hole in the wall, and the four of them hurried out as more of the gym began collapsing. "Alright, Tamanta, let's go help over at the Pokemon Center!"

By the time they got there, Chris and Kyogre finally arrived, and the strangers in silver had fled. "Kyogre, put out that fire! Surf!"

As the waves washed over the building, the flames were extinguished. A soaked Nurse Joy and many Pokemon rushed out. "Thank you!" she called. "That was probably all that would have worked with how big the fire had gotten."

"I'm sorry we weren't here sooner," Chris said as he landed.

"This is probably all our fault. Especially mine," Gloria added.

"Nonsense, my dear," Chuck called. "Well, almost nonsense."

"I think what your father means is that they would have done this even if you hadn't come to visit."

"Thanks, Dad, Mom." Gloria smiled, but Chris became worried.

"If that's right, then we'd best head for my home quickly. I don't want the same thing happening there."

"Right! But it's too late in the evening to make any progress tonight. We'll leave first thing in the morning, alright?"

"Yeah, sure." Chris wasn't happy about it, but knew that she was right. They were tired, and so were Kyogre and Lugia.

"It'll be alright, Chris. Trust me." Gloria put her arm around him, and he smiled.

"Yeah, I know. We'll get there just as fast fresh in the morning as if we go tired at night."

"Unfortunately, we'll be camping tonight, since the gym burned down."

"Good thing we didn't own much, eh dear?" Chuck called to his wife.

"Right! Besides, we've knocked it down before. Remember?"

"I try to forget." Chuck rubbed a scar on his arm, likely obtained from that incident. "But now we can build it bigger and better than before!"

"Just make sure that everyone keeps on guard against those guys in silver, alright?" Gloria said to her parents. "I don't want to come home next time to find the entire town burned down."

"We'll do better than that, dear. We'll make sure that the news gets spread throughout Johto."

"Thanks Mom."

Chuck called out all of his Pokemon. "Alright, boys, time for construction work! First priority, make sure that the Pokemon Center is safe, and repair the damage. Break!"

Chris turned to Gloria. "What's with that?"

"My dad and his Pokemon are a one-trainer construction crew. That's what he did for a living before becoming the gym leader."

"Ah, cool. Let's see what we can do to help."

"I'd let the Pokemon go in first, my boy." Chuck put his hand on Chris's shoulder. "If they were to get trapped under falling rubble, I could easily call them back to their Pokeballs. Can't do that with a human."

A few minutes later something shook, even though it didn't look like anything had fallen. The gym had already burned to the ground, and Gloria and her mom were going through the rubble to see if they could salvage anything.

"What was that?" Chris asked Chuck, still together by the Center.

"Machoke did a quick seismic scan, meaning that they hadn't found any instability in the structure and were doing their final check. Since nothing fell, looks like it's safe." His suspicion was confirmed when his Pokemon came out and saluted. "Ok, now let's get to work on repairs! Gather materials!"

The Pokemon darted inland, and trees began to fall, which were quickly dragged back. Chris then followed them up, taking care of the cutting with his sword so that the Pokemon could bring them back faster. Knowing that any extra wood he sliced could be used to rebuild the gym, he sliced a tree every time the Pokemon returned, climbing back down from the hill when none returned. He then set about cutting the trees into beams and other pieces needed for the repairs. Within two hours the Pokemon Center was structurally repaired, although some damaged electronics would require more professional work to fix.

"Thanks for the help with the wood, Chris. Otherwise we wouldn't have done this nearly as quickly."

"I still feel partly responsible. I felt that I had to do it."

The two of them went over to where Gloria and her mom had piled the things that they could salvage. Not many, but enough. "Well, hon, I'm glad that we didn't have much to lose. The most important things are here."

"That's good. Tomorrow we begin rebuilding the gym." Chuck walked over to his wife and embraced her, and then did the same with his daughter. The four of them then moved out to the garden as the sun set and camped next to Metang's memorial...


	4. Martyrs' Isle

After a hasty breakfast, Chris and Gloria mounted Lugia and flew south, hurrying to Chris's home.

"But how will they react to us being trainers?" Gloria asked as they flew.

"We'll worry about that later. We need to beat those guys in silver there first."

Even with Lugia going as fast as he could, it still took most of the day to get there. "I'm sorry I can't go faster, but only Rayquaza can surpass this speed, and I am unable to teleport there," Lugia told them about midday, when the pair unpacked their lunch. "We should be there around midafternoon."

"It's alright, Lugia, I'm just...really worried. I'm not sure how well my family and neighbors will be able to defend themselves."

"Aren't they fighters like you?" Gloria asked.

"Not most of them. Very few still learn the ways of the fighter, and mostly for entertainment. And without Pokemon..."

As they neared the island, Chris's sinking feeling grew deeper. Then, a column of smoke came into view, and not originating from the volcano. "Oh no..." Chris covered his eyes, not wanting to see what had happened to his home.

"We can still see if we can do something," Gloria said as she hugged him from behind.

But what they found was worse than they could ever have imagined. The smoke was billowing from a cruise ship half sunken in the port, its engines destroyed. Bodies of both natives and tourists littered the ground. Trying not to look at the corpses too closely, they continued in towards the village. They found two of the men in silver pinned to trees by swords, wielded by men who lay dead at their feet, killed by gun wounds. The village was intact, with only a few buildings aflame. Chris ran to the forge, hoping that perhaps someone...

His parents lay dead on the floor, riddled with bullet holes. Chris knelt by their bodies and wept, wishing that he could have been here sooner.

"Is...someone...there?"

Chris turned at the sound of a familiar voice. "Marc? Where are you?"

"He's over here!" Gloria stood by the extinguished forge fire, staring inside.

"Marc! What happened?"

"Chris...you came." Marc coughed, then looked up. "We heard from...the tourists that...you'd become a champion...Mom and Dad...so proud."

"Marc, please, don't speak."

"Must speak...not time...badly burned...Galactic...came yest..." he coughed again, and Chris could tell that there was no way his brother would survive. "Yesterday...we tried...unprepared...revenge on you..." Again he trailed off in a series of horrible coughs, and Chris saw blood fly from his mouth. "Gifts for you...and girl...hidden in grove...good luck...togeth-" Marc coughed, and his rasping breath shortened, finally cutting off with one final choked word. "Win."

Chris's knees gave out. Everything he'd known for so long, gone. As he dissolved into tears, Gloria knelt with him, holding him as he cried onto her shirt. Her tears on his neck felt very distant compared to the pain in his heart.

By the following evening, they and their Pokemon had buried all of the bodies. They had brought out all of the Pokemon that they had found on the tourists to let them know what had happened to their trainers, and after the fire on the ship had died down they had contacted the mainland to let them know what had happened. Some of the Pokemon had left, others had wanted to be sent to their trainers' professors, but all had helped to bury at least some of the dead, at least their trainers. As they finished making the last grave, Chris fell to his knees.

"Chris, there was nothing we could have done. They were here at the same time they were at Cianwood."

"I know, Gloria, I know. But if I had never left..."

"Then Team Magma would have captured me a month ago and possibly done the same thing that Archie and Giovanni tried to do," Kyogre told him. "That or gotten me out of the picture so that they could use Groudon." Kyogre and the rest of their Pokemon were still helping with the clean-up.

"Team Rocket likely would have gotten whatever they'd wanted from Mr. Fuji in Pokemon Tower," Haunter added.

"And I and my friends in Mt. Moon would have all been caught!" Clefairy piped up.

"That mean Magma guy would have hurt me a lot," Pikachu called.

"Not to mention whatever Giovanni could have achieved had he succeeded in Saffron City," Cubone put in.

"We would have never left this island, never seen what was out there, and without you there to achieve your destiny, some form of cataclysm would have destroyed this place. Either Kyogre would have flooded it, or Groudon would have left it high and dry." Dragonaire wrapped gently around him. Her friends, the other Pokemon in the area, were largely missing. One of the few remaining, her brother, said that the men in silver, Team Galactic according to Marc, had captured them during the massacre.

"Nothing is to say that they wouldn't have done this anyways, here or somewhere else, if you hadn't left, Chris." Lugia was flying around above them, watching out in case Team Galactic returned. "These men are the kind who will stop at nothing to get their way."

"Besides, Chris, if you hadn't left home, you never would have met me." Gloria leaned in and kissed him, wiping away his tears. "Don't let it hurt so much because its people that you know. We need to prevent these guys from doing this again. I've already called my parents, and they're going into hiding for the time being, along with many of the residents of Cianwood."

"That's good. But please, just one more day."

Gloria nodded. "Alright. I'll see if I can find out something about this Team Galactic, ok?"

"Just be careful on the ship. It's still volatile."

"The power's dead anyways. Pikachu and I keep our currents contained to just the necessary circuits." Flaffy and Pikachu had been running the electronics to allow them to communicate with the mainland, since the ship's engines had exploded and much of its structure had suffered fire damage.

The Pokemon dispersed, leaving Chris alone in the graveyard. He slowly walked amongst the graves, glad that they had been able to get a name for each of the bodies. Perhaps when the media and officials arrived later, the bodies would be removed, taken to their families for proper services. He hoped that they were. He stopped at where the captain's hat rested atop his grave. They had found him surrounded by the bodies of four Galactic grunts, where he had tried to defend a room of children from them. All told, they had found twenty six Galactic corpses, which were in a mass grave near the shore. There was a mark on the headstones of those who had slain those men, a hero's recognition. It paled compared to the lives that Team Galactic took, however. Finishing his walk among the graves, he stopped beside the graves of his family. From that day on, the island became known as Martyrs' Isle.

_Team Galactic is based out of the Sinnoh region, where they have been committing crimes for years. Considered the best organized of the four "Teams", they have seen a surge in membership recently as Teams Aqua and Rocket dissolved. _

Gloria read through the Kadabrapedia file on Team Galactic. The picture of their insignia and uniforms left her without a shadow of a doubt that it was them. She continued to read.

_Led by Cyrus, a former Sinnoh League champion, they are powerful enough to defy the Pokemon League. Far more violent than the other "Teams", countless murders and rapes can be laid at their members' feet._

"Yeah, we've seen that for sure. What else?"

_Their headquarters are in Veilstone, in northeastern Sinnoh, and they also have mobile command structures. So far, their operations have lacked a noticeable pattern, but there is no doubt that Cyrus has a definite plan in mind._

"This isn't good. Come on, Flaffy, Pikachu. We need to tell the others." Unhooking from the power grid, the two followed her off of the ship with her foreboding news...


	5. Foresight

"Then we're going to Sinnoh next?" Chris asked.

"That's what I'd say, if we're going to stop them." Gloria and Chris sat around a campfire, along with their Pokemon, discussing the things that Gloria had found online.

"Ok, so then when do we leave? This place gives me the creeps now." Clefairy was having a harder time than usual holding still.

"No need to fear, I'm the only ghost haunting this place!" Haunter snuck up behind Clefairy and scared her, sending her flying.

"Hey! Not funny! Dark Pulse!" Clefairy fired back, sending Haunter spinning away. Everyone else started laughing at the pair, who then started to laugh too.

"Thanks, guys, we needed that." Chris smiled for the first time since they'd gotten to the island.

"Oh, Chris, by the way, I've found something. The gifts that your brother said were hidden in the grove." Haunter produced a woven sack.

"Oh! I'd forgotten about that. Thanks." Chris opened the bag carefully. The first thing that he pulled out was a letter.

"Chris, what's in there?" Gloria came over to look in, as did the Pokemon.

"They knew."

"What?"

"My parents and brother...they knew this was going to happen. I knew Mother was a psychic, but..." Tears again coming to his eyes, Chris began to read the letter aloud.

_Chris and Gloria,_

_We are very glad to hear about your League victory together. Despite not liking trainers in general, we have faith in both of you. Take care of Kyogre and Lugia, and each other. Always remember how close you are to your Pokemon, and keep that feeling alive._

_When you read this, we will be gone. But this is how things must be, the fates have written it. The captain of the cruise ship will not believe us, and by the time that he does it will be too late. None of us will abandon the island. Thus we hide these gifts for you before we are gone._

_Gloria, these spikes are made for your shoes, instead of your already-powerful gloves. Take care of our son, and your and his friends._

_Chris, your blade is powerful. Add this second blade to your left hand, but use with care, and make sure you practice with your two swords before using both in combat._

_There are also twelve power charms, custom made for each of your Pokemon. Their already impressive powers will increase when they use those, though there will be drawbacks, varying for each of them. But give them the charms, and let them decide when their use is necessary._

_And remember, both of you, this is not the last goodbye. So, until we meet on the other side, we will be watching you._

_Martin, Lynn, and Marc._

"So, my parents knew...thank you." Chris dumped out the bag, revealing the claws, sword, and charms.

"These use your family's special forging, right?" Gloria asked as she picked up the foot claws.

"Yeah, I think they are. Just look at the difference in the gleam when you pick them up."

"But how did they get my essence? You said that part of the wielder is forged inside, right?"

"My mother...I don't know the extent of her powers, but she would have done it." Chris extended and examined his second sword, a little shorter than his main blade. The Pokemon had sorted the charms amongst themselves, each finding their own special one. Lugia's was a Silver Wing; Kyogre's a replica of the Blue Orb. Cubone had a small bone club, Haunter held what looked like the Ecruteak City gym badge, and Clefairy held a replica of a Moon Stone. Tamanta had a small wave symbol, Hitmontop had a kick symbol, and Togepi held what looked like a shard of its shell. Pikachu and Flaffy had yellow and pink lightning bolts, Skarmory held a metal wing, and Dragonaire had a dragon fang. Chris and Gloria looked over these as their Pokemon examined them.

"My parents really knew what they were doing. Marc too, I can see his touch in these."

"They really cared, didn't they?" Gloria held her new claws and looked over them, then clamped them onto her shoes. Testing them out, she ran up a tree, not losing any grip going up or down.

"Come on, let's get some sleep. We're going to need our rest. Clefairy, want to help with that?" Clefairy nodded and began to sing, easing the others to sleep. She then dozed off herself, worn out from the emotional day.

The next morning, they woke up to the sound of a ship. "Looks like the mainlanders have finally arrived. Let's get going." Chris started gathering his Pokemon into their balls, as did Gloria. They wanted to get away without meeting with the newcomers, so they flew away from the island on Dragonaire and Skarmory. Once they were out of sight of the island, Gloria brought out Lugia to take them on the next leg towards Sinnoh.

"So, Lugia, what do you think that a Sinnoh-based group would be after?" Gloria called from his back.

"Either Dialga or Palika. Two of the most powerful Pokemon in the world."

"Then what should we do?"

"Prevent them from reawakening the Dragons of Space and Time."

"Do you know how they could awaken them?" Chris called.

"No, they were sealed long before I came along. I doubt that Kyogre knows, either." When they switched over to riding Kyogre after lunch, he confirmed Lugia's suspicion.

"Though I'm older than Lugia, I also lack the knowledge of what sealed Dialga and Palika. But the Sinnoh region has the answers, somewhere. Like in Johto and Hoenn, there will be stories about them, clues as to their seals, and how to break them."

"That's not the best news we've heard today. Team Galactic has had years to follow this trail!" There was fear in Gloria's voice as she spoke.

"Don't worry, Glo. We'll figure things out. We _have_ to." They spent the rest of the afternoon in silence, switching back to Lugia and eventually back to Dragonaire and Skarmory as they approached the southwestern coast of the Sinnoh region.

"Sandgem Town, perfect. This is where the local Professor lives, Professor Rowan."

"Then of course we should go and ask for his aid," Chris agreed as Gloria led the way through town. They quickly found the lab, the largest building in the small town. "Kind of reminds you of Oak's place, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, it does, Chris. Let's go in."

Walking through the doors, they found the professor and some assistants in the main lab. "Oh, hello. Who do we have here?"

"Don't you recognize them, Professor?" one of the aides shouted. "These are the Kanto Champions, Chris and Gloria!"

"Oh, yes, that they are. What brings you to Sinnoh so late at night?"

"Team Galactic." The look on Professor Rowan's face wasn't from them talking in unison today...


	6. Weakness

"So, again, what brings you here about that?" Professor Rowan was very stern, glaring at both of them.

Gloria spoke first. "They are based out of the Sinnoh region. But they are spreading like a plague."

"They destroyed my home, slaughtered everyone there."

"We've heard. It's all over the news. That's why, with all the respect due to League Champions, I want you out of here, now. If Team Galactic even suspects that we are linked to you..." The Professor shuddered, his point clear. "Their headquarters are in Veilstone, but their nearest base to here is in Eterna Forest. That's all that I will tell you."

Chris and Gloria nodded, understanding. Team Galactic was a force to be feared, it was obvious. They said their farewells, and departed, heading to the Pokemon Center. They didn't plan to spend the night, but they wanted their Pokemon in good shape. They ate dinner while Nurse Joy tended to their Pokemon.

"We're not going to get much support here, are we?" Gloria's worry was plain on her face. "I mean, when helping us could have such high consequences...we may be better not even asking for help."

"I know. We're basically on our own here. This won't be like Saffron City, where we had some help inside. Galactic has the entire country living in fear, if even a respected Professor is as worried as Professor Rowan."

Just then, Chris got a call. It was Professor Oak. "Hello, you two. Where are you now?"

"Sinnoh, Professor."

"Good, good. Then I won't have to stay on high alert for very long."

"Did something happen?"

"Unfortunately, yes. Team Galactic struck here, at my lab. A small team, which the Pokemon were able to subdue, but nonetheless...I'm going into hiding for now, but I'll be in touch."

"Alright, Professor. Sorry that this is happening."

"Don't say you're sorry. Go out and do something about it!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Good. And good luck!"

The Professor hung up, and Chris and Gloria stared at each other. She had heard the conversation, though she hadn't said anything. "So, he's been attacked too?"

"Right now, I'm glad that we called Rick and told him about this. Team Aqua should be prepared in case Galactic strikes at them."

"I just hope that it's enough..."

Chris nodded, and they finished eating. Then they spoke with Nurse Joy. "Your Pokemon should be in fine shape, now. But I noticed something odd during the treatment."

"What was it?" Gloria asked, intent.

"A virus, one that I've never seen before. Because of how the Pokeballs work, it was an easy treatment, and the disease seemed in an early stage. But if either of you has it, that's another story. The Sinnoh Hospital is in Hearthtome, too far from here to be of use if either of you gets sick tonight."

"Don't worry. We'll be fine." Chris had a suspicion of what the disease was, but he didn't want to say anything until he was sure.

"Alright, and you're sure you don't want to spend the night here?"

"We really shouldn't, Nurse Joy." Chris was eager to defer anyways. The ground was more comfortable than the Pokemon Center beds.

"Well, be safe out there."

"We will." Gloria shook Joy's hand, Chris bowed, and they left. They spent the night camping out between Sandgem and Jubilife Cities, worried about what the morning might bring...

The morning brought worse than he expected. When he tried to get up, he fell right back down. His second and third tries were even worse than the first. With the third thump, Gloria awoke.

"Chris, is that you making that noise?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Chris's voice was strained, and Gloria could tell that something was wrong.

"Are you sick? You sound awful."

Chris struggled to speak. "Yes, Gravedigger's Disease."

"Gravedigger's Disease? What's that?" Concern laced Gloria's voice, especially with the name of the ailment.

"Dragonaire...ask her." Gloria nodded and grabbed Dragonaire's Pokeball, bringing her out.

"Hey, what's up?" Dragonaire asked as she appeared.

"Dragonaire, Chris says he's got Gravedigger's Disease!"

Dragonaire flew in a circle around Chris for a moment, then nodded. "Don't worry, it's not as bad as it sounds. It's either related to death or the grave soil, but it always surfaces when someone dies, within their close family and friends. It is rarely fatal, but it is a big drain on the body's energy. Right now, most of Chris's energy is being focused on three things: pulse, breathing, and digestion. His body is just working to keep itself alive. As his energy falls, more and more muscles will lose the ability to function."

"Does that mean that we'll need to clean up after him?" Gloria shuddered at the thought.

"Yes, unfortunately. We may want to get him out of the sleeping bag to minimize what we'll need to clean."

"Right." Gloria unzipped the sleeping bag, and rolled Chris onto the tarp they had laid on top of. The tarp would be much easier to clean than the sleeping bag. "Alright, that'll be better. Wait, you said that it always comes around death..."

Dragonaire caught on to the unspoken sentiment. "Yes, you probably have it, too."

"And it was probably what Nurse Joy found in you Pokemon at the Center yesterday. She got rid of it, though."

"That may not be good enough. The body doesn't build a full immunity to this, although there is usually a delay between bouts. As long as the afflicted quarantine themselves, it runs its course quickly."

"I think that I'll bring out the other Pokemon, just in case. If I've got this too, I won't be on my feet much longer."

Gloria went over and grabbed the Pokeballs, bringing out nine more Pokemon. She left Kyogre and Lugia in theirs, since they would be like beacons due to their size. Then she and Dragonaire explained the situation to the others. Soon, the situation became even more evident as a sour smell radiated from Chris's nether regions. Gloria expected a reaction from him, but saw that he had lapsed from consciousness.

"Ewww, now we've got to clean that up." Gloria had not wanted this to be the reason that she saw her boyfriend naked!

Haunter then spoke up. "Alright, then it's a good thing that he's unconscious, because this would feel _very_ awkward."

Gloria was confused until she saw what Haunter was doing. He ran his hands through Chris's pelvic region, down towards the ground. Chris shivered as he did so. The smell and the dampness on Chris's pants vanished.

"Well, that's a relief. Thanks, Haunter." Gloria wiped the sweat from her brow. Since she seemed to be facing a delayed reaction, she figured that Chris would be active again while she was still under, so this also protected her from being exposed in this awkward situation. "Dragonaire, he's going to need to have something going into his body. What would the islanders eat or drink during this?"

"Water, and then they would dissolve things in it to supplement nutrients."

"Alright then, we'll need to get things for him to drink. With lots of sugar, I'd bet."

"Exactly. They would often juice the Conu fruits for that, and Chris grabbed a few when we were there." Dragonaire dug into the pack and pulled out one of the fruits.

"Great! He'll appreciate that, I bet." Gloria continued to tend to Chris throughout the morning, until finally around noon her knees gave out. Soon, she was lying on the tarp next to him. He was conscious at the time, and noticed what happened.

"You too?"

"Yeah."

They struggled to grab one another's hand, and they clasped each other as they faded from consciousness...

Dragonaire was in charge, since she was the only one who knew what was going on. Tamanta and Togepi were unhappy, but that was understandable with how pathetic the two humans looked. Haunter was stoic as he kept his vigil, forcing wastes underground whenever necessary. Cubone, Clefairy, Pikachu, and Flaffy ran around helping Dragonaire, retrieving things when necessary. Hitmontop span like a fan to create a soothing breeze and keep the humans' temperatures down somewhat. Skarmory also served as an errand runner, going for things that weren't on hand. When needed, Tamanta would use Water Gun to fill up the cups that Dragonaire slowly poured down the humans' throats. Taking comfort in the presence of their friends, the Pokemon kept their vigil over their trainers.

"How long will they be sick?" Togepi asked the first evening.

"It varies, but it will probably be a couple of days." Dragonaire didn't mention yet that it could take a week or more. She was relying on the trainers' strength to see them through quickly.

"Are you sure they'll be alright?"

"Yes, I am. Don't worry."

Dragonaire turned at a noise from Hitmontop. He looked doubtful. And sad. It only took a moment for Dragonaire to understand why. Metang. Hitmontop had lost his best friend, and although he put on a tough exterior, it wasn't easy. "Yes, Hitmontop, death does happen. But the dead are never really gone. They live on, in our memories."

Hitmontop nodded, as he was standing at the time, and then looked at his charm from the other day. Although it had started brown, it now had a distinctive blue hue. He recognized it as a gift from his friend. He then spoke, softly, in haiku.

_My dear friend Metang_

_Your body may be gone now_

_But you still live on._

Through the night, they rotated sleep, except for Haunter who didn't need sleep. He continued to keep the trainers clean throughout the night. Dragonaire started a fire to keep them from getting too cold, and finally curled up for sleep.

The second day was little better than the first, so the Pokemon continued their sleep rotations, making sure that they all got enough rest. Togepi began following Clefairy around, trying to help out more and knowing that her abilities and Clefairy's were similar. Clefairy also saw this, and coached Togepi as best she could.

"I like your wings."

"Thanks. You're going to have wings someday, when you evolve."

"I could evolve now, if I wanted to. But I wanna talk to Gloria about it first."

"I'm not surprised. I was reluctant about evolving from a Cleffa, before I ever met Chris, but with support from my friends, I did it. If Chris ever offers me a Moon Stone to evolve again, I'll do it."

"Cool. I hafta make sure to talk to her about it, though." Clefairy nodded, and then the pair of them got to work getting food for the other Pokemon, so that they didn't have to all forage for themselves. Most were busy enough in the clearing that it was hard for them to leave.

"Taking care of sick people sure is hard," Tamanta commented. The others all just nodded in agreement...


	7. Recovery

On Day 3, the two trainers finally began to improve, as both of them regained consciousness. Even though neither could move much, they both turned their heads to look at each other. They smiled weakly as they found that they were still holding hands.

"Yay! They're awake!" Tamanta had been the first to notice, and was overjoyed. The other Pokemon quickly rushed over.

"Awake, but still weak. Maybe tomorrow, though, we'll be able to go." Dragonaire spun around the pair, examining them like a doctor.

Suddenly, Lugia broke from his Pokeball. "We may not have that long. Team Galactic is on their way, they'll be here by this evening."

"Is there anything that you can do for them, Lugia?" Haunter asked, concerned.

"Fortunately, there is. Yesterday, it would have been dangerous for me to try this, but now that their bodies have defeated the disease, I can power them through their recovery."

"Why couldn't you do it yesterday?" Togepi asked from Gloria's side.

"Because it would have also strengthened the viruses. Only with it in recession can I safely do this. Now, if the rest of you would stand back…" An aura appeared around Lugia, which spread first to Gloria, and then to Chris. As it faded, the pair got to their feet.

"Ugh, that was…unpleasant." Gloria stretched, working muscles that had been flaccid for days.

"I'll agree with you on that one, Glo," Chris said as he walked over to his bag. He grabbed a change of clothes, and walked off to find a secluded spot to change. Gloria did the same, going the other way.

They came back together, in clean clothes, and embraced. "Let's head to a Pokemon Center, so that we can shower."

"Jubilife City isn't that far away. Let's go, Glo. Ready for a rest, guys?"

The Pokemon all nodded, and returned to their Pokeballs. Chris and Glo headed north, then, arriving at the Jubilife City Pokemon Center less than an hour later.

"Nurse Joy, do you have a room with a shower available?" Gloria asked as she walked in.

"Yes, I do. Wait, aren't you…"

"If you think you recognize us, you're probably right. Here, our Pokemon really need some rest." Chris and Gloria handed over their Pokeballs.

"It IS you! I thought you were dead!"

"Wait, why would you think we were dead?" Gloria turned back to her, while Chris moved to the end of the desk.

"My sister called me a couple days ago, saying that you'd come through Sandgem. But then she called me the day after, and told me that she'd identified what disease your Pokemon had. Botulism. It's got a tendency to be fatal in humans."

"I thought that we had Gravedigger's Disease…" Chris, who had started to pace, froze.

"That's another name for it, yes. But you seem to think it wasn't that bad." Joy read his tone, his body language, like an open book.

"On my island, it wasn't. Usually, the relatives of someone who died would catch it after the funeral. But it was never fatal itself."

"Perhaps your people had developed a resistance to it, so that although they would catch it, they would survive. But in other parts of the world…I'm guessing that's why it took you three days to make a journey that usually takes a few hours?"

"Yeah. We've been out of it for a couple of days." Gloria was recovering a bit, since the worst of it was over, but Chris was still struggling.

"Anyways, I think that you two should try to get some rest. I'll take care of your Pokemon. Here's the keys to the room." Joy handed them the keys, and they went back to the room, where they took turns showering, and washed the clothes that they had been wearing while they were sick. Meanwhile, Joy got on the phone.

"Hello?"

"Commander Mars, they're here."

"So, they are alive."

"They were ill for the past few days."

"Perhaps they will wish that their illness had killed them by the time we're done with them. Do what you can to hold them there so that the squad can arrive."

"Understood, sir. Double Agent Joy, out."

Joy hung up the phone, and went to the back room, where she had her cousin tied up. She couldn't bring herself to kill her own flesh and blood, although that was as far as her compunctions extended.

"My dear cousin, why can't you see that we are going to win? Team Galactic already controls Sinnoh, and with the help of new recruits from Team Aqua, Team Magma, and Team Rocket, soon Hoenn, Johto, and Kanto will be under our power as well."

Joy put the twelve Pokeballs into a pouch, a 'gift' for her bosses. She then removed her cousin's clothes and put on her Team Galactic uniform, tossing the nurse's uniform back onto her cousin. After all, with the Center network run by her family, she was recognized as a traitor, and no longer possessed her own set of scrubs. But since no one else could tell her apart from any other Joy, she could still do her job. Which, right now, was to start the sleeping gas in the ventilation system…


	8. Double Agent

"Gloria, do you hear something?" Chris had just finished his shower, while Gloria was brushing her hair after taking hers.

"No, I…wait! That hiss…there's something in the vents." Dropping what they were doing, they both grabbed their packs and bolted from the room. But the low hiss continued.

"They're gassing the whole building. We've gotta move!" They darted down the hallway to the front entrance, and found it locked from the outside.

"No matter, we'll break our way out! But first, our Pokemon." Gloria jumped over the counter, to try the door to the back room. It was locked, too, but not for long, as she punched a hole through the bolt. Inside, they found Nurse Joy, bound and unconscious.

"Where are they?" Chris was starting to feel lightheaded, and realized that the gas was starting to work.

"Looking for these?" They looked, and saw a Team Galactic member with pink hair and a gas mask, holding a bag which they assumed was full of their Pokeballs. She confirmed this by pulling out the two Master Balls. "They'll make a very nice gift for my bosses."

"You'd like to think that, wouldn't you?" Chris flashed his blade.

"Hoping for a nice juicy promotion?" Gloria clenched her gloved fists.

"It'd be nice. But I'll at least get a nice bonus for capturing you two! I'm surprised that you haven't succumbed yet."

They both realized that they were running out of time. Things were getting blurry, and it was hard to stay on their feet.

"We need to act fast, Chris!"

"Glo, throw me! Straight at her!" Gloria nodded, and grabbed his left hand, flinging him straight at the Galactic Grunt. She dodged, but he had expected that, and he braced for impact behind her. He stabbed at the floor, pivoting around the sword to change direction. With less time to react, the Grunt didn't get far enough away to avoid Chris's attack. He grabbed her leg, and they fell to the ground. Gloria, who wasn't sure if the pink she was seeing was the gas, or caused by the gas, ran across the room, grabbing the bag of their Pokeballs. She then shattered the back door out of the center, falling to the ground in the grass out back and glad to be breathing fresh air. Chris, who noticed that the Grunt had been knocked out by their fall, staggered out after her.

"What about Nurse Joy?" Gloria managed.

"C-clefairy, go get her." Chris basically dropped the Pokeball, still trying to get the gas out of his system. Clefairy appeared, and darted into the Pokemon Center. A moment later, she returned, carrying Nurse Joy and the unconscious Grunt. They transferred the ropes from Nurse Joy to the Grunt, and tried to wake Joy up. Eventually, she began to stir.

"Ugh, what happened?"

"Someone from Team Galactic tied you up and gassed the place." Chris looked at the unconscious Galactic woman. She was gone! "Where'd she go?"

"Maybe she wasn't as unconscious as we thought. And I think we need to improve our knot tying." The rope was lying on the ground, in one piece. "Anyways, we should probably get going. We don't want to cause you any more trouble."

"Uh, sure." Nurse Joy was still unsteady, but at least he could stand now. "Once the building clears out, I'll go in and get the system reset."

"Could you forward the stuff that we left to the next Center?" Chris handed her their room key.

"Yeah. I'll have it waiting in Floaroma Town." Joy stood and went over to a control panel. She typed in a code, and the ventilation system started clearing out the gas. Chris and Gloria then headed off, making their way through town. They took mostly back roads, especially on the north end of town near the TV Station. They did not want to be spotted by a nosy cameraman when they were trying to make a sneak attack.

Meanwhile, on the roofs above, someone was placing a call.

"Yes, sir, I'm sorry. They got away. I underestimated their strength."

"Fine. Anything else to report?"

"I did manage to plant the tracers. They are heading north now. I think that they know about the Eterna Forest base."

"Well, that's fine. We'll have a little surprise for them."

She signed out, and began jumping rooftops northbound. Grabbing the zip line that was attached to the top of Jubilife TV, she slid down into the forest atop the ridge. Her next 'cousin' wouldn't know what hit her…


	9. Fated Meeting

Chris and Gloria proceeded through the aptly named Ravaged Path, hoping to make good time to, and through, Floaroma Town. However, they found their path blocked by a heated battle.

"Pikachu, Volt Tackle!"

"Starmie, Rapid Spin!"

The Croagunk and Stunky that the pair were facing off against went down hard, and were withdrawn by their trainers, two Galactic Grunts.

"Heh, so you beat us in battle. You think we're done?" One grunt pressed a button, and the ground beneath the two trainers and their Pokemon collapsed.

"Hey, you can't do that to them!" Gloria shouted as she ran forward.

"Who's gonna stop us?" the Grunt asked cockily.

"Shut it, moron! Look who it is!" The Grunt hit his partner, and both started to back away.

Gloria clenched her fists. "Too late, boys. Say goodnight." She grabbed the two and slammed their heads together, leaving them unconscious on the cave floor. Meanwhile, Chris helped the other two trainers out of the hole.

"Gah, I spend too much time at the bottom of holes."

"Well, if you were better at watching for traps, you'd stay out of them."

"Like you're one to talk, Misty. You always end up down there with me."

Misty blushed. "I guess you've got me there, Ash. Oh, and thanks, you two. Hey, I recognize you! Chris, and Gloria!"

"Misty? What're you doing here in Sinnoh?" Chris was baffled as to why the Cerulean Gym Leader was traveling here, especially with how dangerous it was.

"Well, Ash here is part of that. He was kind of distraught after…something happened, so I caught the next plane to Jubilife to come help him."

"Wait, Ash? As in Ash Ketchum?" Gloria's eyes lit up as he nodded. "Ooh, cool! Looks like a multi-celebrity meeting!"

"Huh?" Ash was obviously confused.

"Ash Ketchum. Even I recognize that name. Your exploits a few years back really gained you some notoriety, even where I'm from. You're still the only one to have beaten Drake, you know."

"Oh, that? That was six years ago!" Ash was blushing too, not used to being treated as a celebrity. On the road, it rarely came up, especially when traveling with his close friends.

"That's not all that your name has been tagged on, you know." Misty realized that Ash had never known how big he was, because he spent all of his time traveling. "Remember Entei? Latios and Latias? You've helped save the world at least once. And while so have they, that's still pretty big."

"Now hang on, Misty. You were there for those, too."

"But I wasn't the big hero. That was you." Before Ash could protest anymore, Misty kissed him soundly. "Not to mention, you do own three league championship trophies from different areas."

"Yeah, I know, I know." Pikachu began to laugh next to him.

"Eh, it's good to see that fame hasn't given you a big head, Ash." Chris commented.

Misty looked over at him. "Oh, he used to have one. But it's been deflated enough that he now keeps it under wraps."

"Yeah, you and May…." He fell silent, and they all saw the pain on his face.

"Mind if we ask who May is?" Gloria was looking at Misty, but Misty waited for Ash to nod before replying.

"May is…was…Norman's daughter, from Hoenn. She had also traveled with Ash, and was like a little sister to him, and he treated her and her brother Max like family. But…that's why I'm here, now."

"What happened?"

"I guess that you guys travel enough that you don't hear news, either," Ash said, looking up. Tears ran slowly down his face as he talked. "Last week, Team Magma…they destroyed all of the gyms in Hoenn! May, and her family…" He trailed off, unable to finish.

"I caught up with Ash at their funeral. We then came here, hoping that it wouldn't be as bad. But…it's worse. Galactic was behind Magma's move, and behind similar attacks in Johto and Kanto. Cerulean Gym was destroyed less than an hour after I left to come meet Ash."

"That may have been why they torched my dad's gym!" Gloria exclaimed.

"Or at least part of it. I think that they're trying to destroy the Leagues, and their government." Chris realized that if it had just been part of that plan, then his home would have been spared. But the method of the attack on Cianwood had also been to target Gloria.

"The Professors have come under attack, too. My mom is hiding out with Professor Oak, and Professor Rowan is under Galactic's thumb." Ash seemed to be recovering, and resolve shone in his eyes. "However, I don't think that all hope is lost. We should see if we can find some of the other surviving Gym leaders. See if we can lead a revolt against Team Galactic."

"You guys took down Team Rocket single-handed, but I don't think that Team Galactic is going to be so easy." Misty commented. "They're better supplied, more disciplined, and they're prepared."

"Then perhaps the four of us should go together. Share our strength." Gloria looked at the other three, who nodded. Rising to their feet, they headed out of the cave.

Meanwhile, Agent J had arrived in Floaroma Town, and had already knocked out her second-cousin in the Center. She now lay in wait for her prey to come into her trap…


	10. Getting to Know You

"Hey, Nurse Joy! Can you take care of our Pokemon?" Ash was back to his usual self as he walked over to the counter, and was already removing his Pokeballs from his belt. Pikachu, however, wasn't so sure, and climbed onto Ash's head. "Okay, buddy, okay, you don't need a rest, I get it." That wasn't quite the point Pikachu was trying to make, but it was enough. At least if something went wrong, Ash would still have one Pokemon with him.

Misty saw Pikachu stay on Ash's head, and changed her mind as well, grabbing Golduck's Pokeball, since she hadn't used him since her last trip to a Center. Chris and Gloria followed suit, keeping Dragonaire and Skarmory with them. They then went to the twin suite that Joy gave them the keys to. It had two rooms with four beds, and a shared kitchen between them.

Misty's eyes lit up when she saw the kitchen. "Hey, Ash, you haven't tried my cooking yet, have you?" Ash shook his head no. "Cool. Brock's been giving me some pointers, and I think I'm getting pretty good at it. But…what to cook?" Gloria ran over and whispered to her. Misty jumped and clapped her hands. "That's perfect! You guys can really get those?"

"Get what?" Ash asked, curious as to what Misty and Gloria had in mind. Chris had a pretty good idea.

"Conu fruit and Cianwood Trout!"

"Whoa, really? That's an expensive feast!" Ash started licking his lips. Surely such expensive food would have an equally priceless taste. "How can you afford it?"

"Afford? Ash, those are our homes. She grew up on Cianwood, and I…" Chris trailed off, and Ash realized why. He had heard the radio story about the destruction of the island.

"So, we've both lost people close to us. Let's just make sure not to let any more of them go. Right?"

"Right." Without saying anything, they both knew who the other would give anything, even his life, to protect. "So, Ash, when did you meet Misty?"

"My first day as a trainer. I didn't get along well with Pikachu yet, and had tried to catch a Spearow without him. Instead, I got a whole flock mad at us. They chased us into a river, which was a lot faster than it seemed. We were dragged under, and thrown down a waterfall. We may have drowned if Misty's fishing hook hadn't snagged my backpack."

"Wow. How long did it take for a relationship to develop, if you met like that when you were ten?"

"Well, I didn't really like her at first, since she was just mad because Pikachu accidentally fried her bike, fighting off those Spearow. She was loud, persistent, strong…and at first, that was annoying, but once I realized that I liked her, I found that it was because of those traits. She was a big help on my journey, saving my tail more than that first time. But I think that Lavender Town was when I realized how I felt about her. When she saved my life for the second time."

Ash told his story, and then Chris told him about his time with Gloria. Meanwhile, Gloria and Misty were working on the fish and Conu fruits. "Wow, you've known each other since you were ten?"

"Yeah, I caught him one day while I was fishing. Between you and me, I still have that hook."

"When did you first realize how you felt about him?"

"It took a while, especially with how he had trashed my bike. Well, technically, Pikachu zapped it, but I held Ash responsible. But…I'd say by the time we went to Lavender Town, I realized it, at least a bit. I still nagged him about the bike, but my heart wasn't in it. I was much more concerned about him as a friend, maybe even a boyfriend, than for getting my bike back when he died there."

"What? He died?"

"For a bit, yeah. He didn't tell me until later just what had happened, but apparently after being crushed by a chandelier, he and Pikachu hung around as ghosts, playing with the Ghost Pokemon there. But he had enough will to live to come back to us. He told me it was because he couldn't stand seeing me cry. After the first time we kissed, anyways."

"Wow. Did he ever pay back for the bike?"

"Yeah. After we traveled through Johto, he surprised me with it. I had completely forgotten by then, but it was important enough to him that he did it. Apparently, Pikachu has toasted two other bikes since then. May's, and a girl named Dawn that he traveled with here in Sinnoh a couple years ago."

"He's been here already?"

"Yeah, but things have sure changed since then. Dawn is in hiding with her mom, because both are well known Coordinators. Galactic is trying to void out any celebrities that won't agree with them."

"Which is why they torched the gyms."

"And took control of Jubilife TV, among other things. They've probably gotten Goldenrod Radio by now, too. But I don't want to dwell on that. How about you and Chris?"

"Well, the funny thing is, he just started as a trainer about a month ago. I met him just after he got his fifth badge, having just earned my fifth Kanto badge, too."

"Yeah, I remember him saying that he was a new trainer when I battled him."

"Well, I kinda think I fell for him right off, when we had a battle on a sandbar between the Seafoam Islands and Violet City."

"Who won?"

"I did, but not by much. And I think I may have had him dazed, what with being in a bikini and all."

"No, I don't think so. After all, so was I when I battled him, and he thrashed me. He's got a professionalism about him when he battles."

"Yeah, definitely. Anyways, we met back up after we each got our sixth badge, his in Violet, mine from Blaine. Heh, that was a puzzler."

"Yeah, Blaine's been kind of weird ever since Cinnabar became a big time tourist trap. Did you battle in the volcano?"

"Yep. Although apparently Chris battled him in the street."

"Wow. He must have figured it out right after he met Blaine."

"That's what he says. And in retrospect, I can see how. He gave himself away, criticizing the industry that was bringing him money."

"Yep. I was the one who figured it out for Ash. He wasn't that good with riddles, and neither is Brock. I hope he's alright…"

"Who, Brock? He should be. He may play a chump, but I can tell that he's really a strong trainer."

"He's a better breeder, though. Anyways, looks like we're almost done."

Throughout the conversation, they had been cooking, and now things were ready to serve. They called the boys over, and dinner began. Ash soon noticed the ring on Gloria's finger. "Ah, so you've asked her, too."

Chris looked at Misty's hands, and noticed that she, too, wore a ring. "Yeah. Should we swap stories?"

"Not like ours is that interesting. But I have to say, Ash, a funeral isn't the best place to ask that question."

"I didn't plan to. But losing her like that…I wanted to ask you before one of us was gone." Chris and Gloria wisely stayed quite as the pair shared a moment, hands intertwined, eyes locked. The moment ended with a kiss, and Chris and Gloria playfully applauded when they were again included in Ash and Misty's world. "So, what about you?"

"Have you heard about what happened in the Orange Islands?" Gloria asked, hoping that they had.

"You mean you two last week, demolishing Team Rocket? It's been flooding the airwaves ever since." Ash laughed, and Misty smiled.

"Well, when we left Shamouti, on a boat ride towards Cianwood, I asked her. We were kind of on an emotional high, and it felt like the right thing to do."

"We went through there, while Ash was on his way to get that title. He played the part of the Hero of Legend in the festival. But it was only play for us. You guys were the real deal."

"Well, you can't always be the one to save the world, right?" Gloria smiled at him, and they all laughed. They then focused mostly on eating, sharing an occasional comment but otherwise being quiet. As they finished, Ash said something that shook all four of them.

"I just hope that one of us, or anyone, will be able to do that this time."

"Way to kill the mood, Ash. Hey, that reminds me! These two aren't the only trainers with Legendary Pokemon anymore." Misty jumped up, setting a different mood entirely.

"Oh yeah! You think Mesprite and Uxie will mind us letting these two know?"

"I think that they'd enjoy meeting up with Kyogre and Lugia, anyways," Gloria cut in. "Come on, let's go retrieve our Pokemon. Joy should be done with them." She led the group back to the front, where they received an unexpected surprise.

"What? I'm sorry, I don't remember you even coming in. An hour ago, you say?"

"Yes, Nurse Joy! You were right here, you took our Pokemon, and gave us the key to that room!" Ash was frantic, but the others were just as worried.

"Oh dear. I think someone is playing a trick on all of us. Chansey, is that ice pack ready?" Chansey ran out of the back room with an ice pack, which Joy put on her head, nursing a bruise that was rising through her hair. "I was, unfortunately, unconscious at that time. You've been tricked by an imposter. And I think I know who. One of my second-cousins, the former nurse of Veilstone City, works for Team Galactic. She must have knocked me out, and stolen your Pokemon!"

"Crap. And I think I know just where she went." Chris shared his suspicion with the others, who agreed. Glad that they still each had one Pokemon, they made their way through the twilight towards Eterna Forest…


	11. A New Power

The eight of them moved carefully through the forest, their four remaining Pokemon all out of their Pokeballs. Golduck ran along with them, as did Pikachu, while Dragonaire and Skarmory glided through the trees.

"Something's wrong. It's too quiet here," Misty observed, struggling to keep the worry from her voice.

"Yeah, I know. There's not a single wild Pokemon here. No bugs, not even a HootHoot or a Zubat." Ash adjusted his hat, a sign that he was getting very nervous.

"So, where is this base at, anyways?" Gloria tugged at her gloves, wanting to make sure they were secure.

"Nurse Joy said that it was in the Old Chateau at the north end of the woods," Chris reminded her as he extended his sword. He kept the sheath on, for now, though.

"Be careful. There's a large power source nearby," Pikachu called.

"The air is losing moisture, too," Golduck warned.

Ash and Misty thought back on when their knowledge of Pokemon speech had become real understanding instead of just part of their bond with their Pokemon. "I remember when I couldn't understand you at all, Pikachu. And now we can carry on conversations."

"It happens," was all Pikachu said.

"Keep focused, we're almost there," Dragonaire cautioned.

Skarmory poked up above the treeline for a moment. "I see a smokestack about 200 yards to the north."

In half that distance, they came to the edge of a clearing. Unlike the old paths through the forest, it was well kept, betraying the presence of an active base on the property.

"I'll take care of the electronic security," Pikachu whispered before he disappeared into the brush. Small zaps and pops could be heard as he overloaded the various sensors around the perimeter of the base. A few minutes later, he jumped back onto Ash's head. "Ok, we should be clear. Though they're probably already expecting us."

"There's not much that we can do about that," Ash stated calmly as they started out into the clearing, moving quickly to avoid any human spotters that might be active.

Suddenly, they were hit with a Gravity attack, pulling them all to the ground, then _through_ the ground as a trapdoor opened beneath them. Held by the Gravity attack, not even Dragonaire or Skarmory could escape sliding down into the depths of the base. As they slid, they were separated, with branches in the metal tubes opening seemingly at random. They each landed in their own glass tube in the basement of the hideout, which resisted all of their attempts to break free, from Gloria punching and Chris slicing to Pikachu trying to zap his way free.

"Well done, Agent J. Your bait, and your plan, worked perfectly."

"Thank you, Commander Mars."

The eight of them looked at the speakers. One, Agent J, was obviously the renegade Joy, though her bright pink hair was flowing down her back instead of being held in the same position as her relatives. Meaning that the other was Commander Mars.

"Oh, we will be rewarded greatly for capturing these four. Cyrus has big plans. And don't bother trying to break out. Your cells are specially designed to keep you in."

The two of them laughed as they walked out of the room, leaving the eight of them in the dark.

"Great, this sucks," Ash whined.

"Calm down, Ash. We'll find a way out of this." Misty tried to comfort him, but it was obvious that she needed more comfort than he did.

"Hey, sorry, Misty. You're right. We'll find a way to get out. But…we've just dropped Uxie and Mesprite into their hands, the very fate that we swore we'd protect them from…"

"I know, Ash. I know." They could hear tears in Misty's voice.

"Hey, all the more reason to get out of here!" Pikachu called.

"He's right. We can find a way!" Gloria shouted, stunning the others as she resumed pounding on her cell.

"Something is bound to give out, if we don't give up," Chris said as he resumed his attacks, too. The Pokemon picked up the spirit, and attacked as well, and a faint illumination spread through the room from Pikachu's Thunder and Dragonaire's Dragonbreath.

"I feel so useless!" Ash shouted. "I just…want to…Yaaaaaa!"

The others stared as Ash yelled. The glass in front of him melted as flames spewed from his mouth. He stopped after a moment, and looked at the hole in front of him. "What…what just happened?" he asked.

"I…have no idea." Misty stared at him, her tears still glistening on her cheeks. "But could you try to do it again to get the rest of us out of here?"

"Maybe. But I don't even know how I did it."

"I think I might," Chris called.

"What are you talking about?" Gloria asked. The others waited for him to explain.

"Well, Gloria and I both have inhuman powers, mostly strength-related. Perhaps Ash has abilities like that, too."

"But, why? Why would I be able to do that?" Ash asked.

"We don't know the answer to that ourselves, Ash," Gloria told him. "Perhaps the heroes of the earth need these powers. Or it could be something else entirely."

"I don't care about that right now!" Misty shouted. "I want OUT!" As she shouted that last word, a blast of water shot from her hands. The glass, not tempered to withstand the sudden pressure, shattered, as did both Chris's and Gloria's, because she had been facing them when she shouted. "What? Don't tell me that…"

"You have powers, too, Misty." Ash ran over to her, and wrapped her in his arms. They kissed, and steam seemed to rise around them. The four of them then worked to release their Pokemon, and then headed into the depths of the hideout, to rescue the others.

"But, why?" Misty asked. "Why us?"

"Ash just asked that, Misty," Gloria reminded her.

"Hey, wait. Uxie is the Being of Knowledge or something like that, right?" Ash asked. "Maybe he knows."

"Yeah, that's a good idea. Let's ask him when we get him back!" Misty's demeanor changed, from slightly fearful to very determined.

"I love that redhead fire!" Ash shouted, his mood improving as well.

"I can see that," commented Chris. "Whereas I like what I have just fine." He wrapped Gloria in his arms and kissed her. Ash followed his lead, sweeping Misty off her feet to do so. The Pokemon just giggled.

"Alright, then let's go!" Chris and Gloria shouted.

"We've got promises to keep!" called Ash and Misty. They sprinted on through the base, looking for some sign of where their other Pokemon, or their enemies, could be…

"Yes, Cyrus, they have awakened."

"Good, Mars. All of the Ties must be either awakened or destroyed. Are the clues in place?"

"Yes. They will make their way to Mt. Coronet, don't worry."

"Good, good. Those four will be necessary for the ritual. Especially the two Dragons. J, you will continue to track them, monitor them."

"Understood, sir."

"The pieces are coming together at last…"


	12. Gathering

Hallway after hallway continued to be empty, as were the rooms that they found along them. They found nothing, except for various building materials that suggested that this floor of the base was still under construction. Ash led the way through the fairly dark halls with a fireball that he balanced on his palm, as he began to experiment with his newfound powers. "How do we get out of here?" he asked, frustrated. "There has to be some stairs, or a ladder…"

"I'd even settle for a map," Misty whined. "But it looks like they haven't even finished building down here, yet." She was also testing her powers, juggling a water ball when they would stop from time to time.

"They probably hurried to finish the area where they held us, so that they'd be ready," Chris conjectured. "But this area is a huge maze!"

"Every maze has an exit," Gloria said. "Otherwise they'd be stuck down here with us."

Soon, they found that exit, a staircase spiraling around a freight elevator. Glad to be out of the basement, they hurried up to the next floor. It was much brighter, since more lights were in place and active, and presumably, more occupied.

"Dang, they only go up one floor!" Skarmory whined metallically. She was ready to find open sky again.

"We need to search every floor anyways," Golduck reminded her.

"Otherwise we won't find them!" Pikachu called.

"Yeah, I know," Skarmory said, chastened.

"But I agree, Skarmory," Dragonaire said. "It'd be nice if they did go further. Then we'd at least know where to go to get higher. Instead, we have to find another staircase. Wait! I sense Clefairy nearby!"

"Really?" Chris asked. "Where?"

"She's…this way!" Dragonaire led the way down the hall, and through a door to where Clefairy sat in another glass tube. Her Pokeball was mounted on top of it.

"Yay, you're here!" Clefairy cheered. "I've got something to tell you!" Chris ran over to the controls for the tube and opened it, knowing that no elemental attack could have gotten Clefairy out, else she'd have done it herself. "I know what they're planning!"

"You do?" Ash asked. "How?"

"They brought other Clefairies in here, and I talked to them. They wanted to see if they could get their Clefairies to be as strong as me. But the Clefairies don't like the stuff that Team Galactic makes them do! Because they don't want to help force Dialga and Palika to destroy the world!" Clefairy spoke so fast that she was hard to understand, but the threat was clear.

"Dialga and…Palika. The Dragons of Time and Space," Misty recited. "Their power is said to be the greatest of the Legendary Pokemon. If Team Galactic could control them…"

"That's why we need to stop them, right?" Gloria asked. The others cheered in response.

"Ooh, ooh! There's more!" Clefairy said, jumping with excitement. "I made a plan with the other Clefairies! They want to help stop their trainers, so I've made a psychic link with all of the ones I talked to. When we're ready for them, I can have them all use their power together to help us! I'm also linked to the Clefairies at Mt. Moon, and the networks can expand as they talk to others!"

"So, you could get most of the Clefairies in the world to help us?" Chris asked, baffled.

"And the Clefables and Cleffas, too! Especially if I can talk to some in Mt. Coronet!"

"Well, then that's probably a good place to take a trip to," Gloria said. The others nodded. "Do you know where any of the others are, Clefairy?"

Clefairy nodded, and led the group next door. Haunter was in there, looking very pained until Chris opened his case. "That was something I'd not wish to repeat," he said as he moved around with relief. "It was…very painful…with my power sealed like that."

"I'll bet. Do you want a rest?" Haunter nodded, and Chris grabbed his Pokeball and returned him to it.

Clefairy then led them to other areas nearby, where their other Pokemon were being held. Gloria's Togepi and Misty's Togekiss were in a large tube together, neither of them looking happy. Until their trainers arrived, anyways. Then, tears of sorrow became tears of joy for the two Happiness Pokemon. Misty's Starmie, Kingdra, and Corsola were all in a tank together, and were almost as glad to see her as Togekiss had been. Blastoise was in there, too, having pulled out his old sunglasses again as he had been trying to comfort the other three. Tamanta was riding on his back, having been too scared to want to be alone. Torterra, Cubone, Ambipom, and Hitmontop were in another large cage together, and were venting their frustration with a battle until their trainers released them.

Then Clefairy led them into a generator room, where Chris's Pikachu and Gloria's Flaffy were being drained of their energy. Ash's Pikachu was outraged, and fried the machine to free them before the trainers even got over there. He then started speaking rapidly to Chris's Pikachu, and they quickly became friends. The other occupant of the room was Charizard, whose tail flame was being used as a boiler flame. His rage at the insult only built the flame, making it that much more effective.

"Well, that's almost everyone. Where are Kyogre and the other Legendaries?" Chris asked Clefairy.

"I…don't know. I can't sense them," Clefairy admitted.

"Well, you've found everyone else," Gloria told her, and she perked back up.

"I'd guess that Team Galactic is shielding them somehow, so that Clefairy can't sense them," Misty surmised. The others nodded in agreement.

"But, that doesn't mean that they're not here," Ash reminded them. "I think that they're the main bait for the big trap."

"What big trap, Ash?" Misty asked, halfway surprised that he'd reached that conclusion.

"This has all been too easy. As if they had expected us to get out. We still haven't seen a single Team Galactic member since we escaped, and we're surely setting off alarms with each case that we break. They're all waiting for us, possibly with those four to bring us to them." His Pikachu, riding on his shoulder, nodded in agreement.

"I think that mobility will be key, here," Skarmory said. "Perhaps most of us should return to our Pokeballs, for the time being."

The other Pokemon and the trainers agreed, and most of them returned to their Pokeballs. Ash's Pikachu didn't, of course, nor did Clefairy, Starmie, or Hitmontop. The slightly altered group of eight then continued upwards, with Clefairy again leading the way.

The next floor was the ground level, as there were now windows showing the outside of the building. They also began to encounter some enemy resistance. Which first manifest itself in the form of a Grunt coming out of a door behind them and grabbing Misty, who was at the tail of the pack.

"Ash! Help!"

"Misty! Let her go!"

The Grunt had other plans, as he drew a knife and put it near her throat. He never got the chance to do much with it, however, as he was hit with a fireball from Ash's hand. He crumpled to the floor, and Misty ran over to Ash's waiting embrace.

"Thank you, Ash. I…look out!" Misty screamed, and the others looked where she pointed. A trio of Grunts had stepped into the hallway ahead of them, guns drawn. They fired, but the only thing that they hit was a wall of ice that formed between them and their targets. "Let's go! I can't hold that for long!"

They did so, running down an adjacent hallway. They heard the splash behind them as Misty's shell melted. They heard the footsteps behind them as the Grunts pursued them. Then they heard more shots fired, flying wide.

"Cut it out!" Misty shouted, flinging shards of ice at them. She didn't want to think about how readily the guns fell silent. Not now. They kept running through the hallways, searching for the Legendary Pokemon that they brought with them. But there was no sign of them anywhere, and the opposition was increasing. They couldn't open a door or cross a hallway without having to nullify a threat.

After a few minutes, they found an empty room, where they stopped to catch their breaths. "We're going about this the wrong way," Gloria realized after a moment. "We're not going to find them by just searching. We have to ask. Someone is bound to know."

"But will they tell us?" Misty asked.

"A bloody blade held to one's neck can be very persuasive," Chris said, brandishing his sword.

"We, we have blood on our hands now, too, don't we," Ash said quietly. Gloria and Chris merely nodded. It was better for the pair of them to realize their destructive capabilities now, instead of having a harsh realization later, like they had had. Misty collapsed into Ash's arms, tears dripping from her eyes and his.

"Losing your innocence like this isn't easy," Gloria said, putting her hand on Misty's back.

"But your realization is soft, compared to ours," Chris said. "We, we didn't have a clue. At least you figured it out on your own." He put his hand on Ash's shoulder. Ash looked up at his new friend, and smiled.

Pikachu then jumped up onto his head. "And besides, we've died before, Ash. Ours just…wasn't permanent." Pikachu had realized the damage that he could do. He had been holding back his power for years. Jesse and James had been a nuisance, nothing more, and he hadn't wanted their blood on his hands.

Starmie began to coo beside Misty. "There are more important things to worry about. Remember, they have tried to kill us, and could have succeeded had you not acted the way that you did."

"It's hard. Don't expect the pain to all go away. Some pain, is good." Hitmontop had pulled out his charm, and Gloria now noticed the blue coating. "Some losses, are harder to take than others. Let this small loss allow you to prevent greater losses."

Clefairy seemed to be the only one who wasn't weighted down by the feeling in the room. She was bouncing around, a smile on her face. But Chris noticed that she occasionally left a few wet drops on the floor. "Sometimes, we have to do something we feel is bad, to prevent something worse from happening! It's good to still feel bad about it, but don't let that stop you from the right path! Suck it up, smile, and keep moving!"

"Th-thanks, guys," Misty said, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Yeah, that really helps," said Ash, wiping away his own tears as he and Misty regained their feet. "If you feel like it, could you tell us that part of your story, later?" He looked at Chris, who looked at Gloria, and they both slowly nodded. "But, as for now, let's get something to eat." Ash pulled off his pack, and pulled a few energy bars out, as well as some packs of Pokemon food from Brock. Everyone grabbed a bit to eat, and drank some water that Misty gave them, and then they set off, hoping to gain a captive for information…


	13. Legendary Secret

**AN: Ok, so I'm up to chapter thirteen of book two. Please review! **

It didn't take them long to find a target. Just after they left their hiding place, a Grunt spotted them.

"Gotcha! The bounty is mine!" he shouted as he fired, his bullet going very wide. Misty and Ash worked in a quick tandem to disarm and disable him. Ash hit his gun hand with a fireball, melting the metal and scorching his hand. As he shouted in pain, Misty created a sheet of ice under him, preventing him from running. Gloria and Chris then stepped in. Gloria grabbed him and held him as Misty's ice melted, and Chris darted over, sword drawn, jerking to a stop mere inches from the man's face.

Gloria, holding him from behind, whispered into his ear. "We have one question, Grunt, and if you answer it, you will live through this encounter. If not, your death will be slow, and painful." The man seemed torn as he looked at the three humans in front of him. Ash began juggling a fireball between his hands, and Misty twirled an ice shard shaped like a throwing knife.

"I…I can't…betray Galactic," the man bawled. "They'll kill me anyways! And in a much worse way than you could ever imagine!"

"I don't know," said Ash. "I can think of quite a few right now. Many of which can be performed simultaneously." Two more fireballs joined the first, bouncing through the air between his hands. Pikachu jumped up onto his head, electricity bristling from his cheeks. Starmie spun wildly behind Misty, with Hitmontop spinning beside her, both seeming to be very eager to draw blood. But Clefairy's sadistic grin may have been what broke him.

"Aaah! Okay, okay! I'll tell you! But on one contidion."

"That depends on what it is," Misty said calmly, rolling ice knives along her knuckles.

"Please, kill me quickly, if my information satisfies you. Please, afford me that little mercy."

"We will. If your information is true and acceptable." The other humans stared at Chris, stunned. "We have already condemned you to death. It is only fair that we perform the execution. Now, where are the Legendary Pokemon?"

"Upstairs, in the main lab. All five of them should be there."

"Five?" Gloria asked behind him, tightening her grip.

"Yes, five. Kyogre, Lugia, Uxie, Mesprite, and Azelf."

"No, you've gotten Azelf, too?" Misty cried, dismay raging in her voice.

"Yes. And we already have what we needed from the three Ancient Beings of the Lakes. Mars probably took it with him to Veilstone."

"What was it that you took from them?" Ash asked, knowing that this was what Uxie had warned them about when they had met him.

"Part of their essences, used to contain Dialga and Palika eons ago."

"Alright, enough. Gloria, knock him out."

Gloria did so, rendering the man unconscious with one quick motion. She then laid him down on the floor as Chris moved to behead him, swiftly while he lay unconscious.

Before he got the chance, a wave of electricity shot past him. The humans had to shield their eyes from the bright Thunder attack that Pikachu directed at the man. "That should be relatively painless," Pikachu said calmly. "And it will look more like he struggled than a clean cut would." He then walked over to Ash as the humans, and the other Pokemon, looked from him to the now-dead man, who had wisps of smoke rising from his charred uniform.

"Pikachu…" Ash said, stunned that his friend had so much power. "How did you do that?"

"What, exactly, did you do?" Misty asked from beside him.

"I sent about twice as much electricity as an electric chair through his body, overloading his central nervous system. And Ash, you've seen me use this power before. Remember, when we first met May? I was sick, from being overcharged again. This was the kind of power that I overloaded that robot with. My power has grown with me over the years, Ash. I just…don't usually show it. I can't, in battle, otherwise I could kill something. Only now, when he wished for death, could I do that safely." Ash then realized that Pikachu wasn't unaffected by what he had done. Tears dripped down his face, causing sparks to bristle from his cheeks as they ran past them. "For years, I have had to sneak off sometimes, at night, and release that energy. That's the only reason that I haven't had that overcharged, sick feeling since that day."

"I…remember how strong you always used to seem. But yeah, you never seemed to get a whole lot stronger, after a point. I had thought that you had reached a plateau, or something, and were as strong as you could get." Ash rubbed his hand on his friend's head.

"In all the time I've known you, Pikachu, I can readily think of three really big Thunderbolts that you have used. All of them fried some girl's bike." Misty came and sat by them, running her hand down Pikachu's back. "I had started to wonder how you had done that. It would have taken a lot of heat in those attacks to do that. Now, having actually seen you do it, I understand. Your burden, it must be heavy…"

Pikachu merely nodded, and shook off the two humans' hands. "This is no time for this. We must free the others!" He darted off towards the stairs they had seen earlier, and the others followed closely.

They didn't meet any other Grunts along the way, but they did see the corpses of a few they had met earlier. Neither Ash nor Misty wanted to look to closely at their grisly handiwork, so they rushed past quickly, and darted up the stairs.

The lab took up the entire second floor of the building. The dozen or so scientists who were at work ran for cover as the eight of them burst in. The five Pokemon were floating inside of liquid-filled tubes, various probes attached to all of them. "Pikachu, can you overload those machines, to release the Pokemon?" Ash asked. Pikachu nodded, and jumped onto one of the consoles. The electricity that he sent into it caused it to explode, and the glass surrounding Kyogre shattered. He then did the same to the other four consoles, releasing the other Pokemon from their captivity. The four humans rushed over to their Pokemon, and Azelf, not having a trainer nor caring to join one, took his leave quickly.

"That was something that I didn't want to go through again," Kyogre boomed. "What happened this time? Wait, Uxie? Mesprite? So, this IS the legend that I feared."

"Yes, Kyogre, I'm afraid that it is," Mesprite called from Misty's arms. "They have what they needed, the keys to opening the sealed power, and controlling it."

"However, it would seem that we have our own trump card now, Mesprite. Do you see who I see?" Uxie, having recovered some of his power, floated above Ash's head.

"What? No, I…wait! I get it! It's them, isn't it?"

"Who is who?" Lugia asked. "You three make me feel so…juvenile. Wait, I sense a resonance. You, girl, what is your name?"

"Me?" Misty asked. Lugia nodded. "I'm Misty Waterflower, the Cerulean Gym leader."

"Well, Uxie, should I tell her?" Lugia asked, deferring to the elder Legendary Pokemon.

"I think that it is best that they know, and that seems the best way to breach the topic." Uxie was calm, but smiling. Mesprite, however, was extremely exited, and now floated all around the room.

"Tell me what?" Misty asked. "What should we know?"

The other humans nodded in agreement, sensing the gravity of what was about to be revealed. Lugia seemed to clear his throat before speaking. "Misty Waterflower, you are my Soul Doll…"

**Ooh, what is that? Do you like it? I'll tell you, in the next chapter. Muahahaha!**


	14. Soul Dolls?

"I'm…your what?" Misty stammered, unable to wrap her mind around what Lugia had said. She…was a Doll?

"Don't cry, Misty! It's not a bad thing!" Mesprite called, floating around her as Ash wrapped his arms around her. "Besides, Ash is a Soul Doll too!"

"Wait, what?" Now Ash was the incredulous one. He could imagine Misty as a doll, she was beautiful enough, but him? He wouldn't even make a good action figure!

"So are Chris and Gloria! And lots of other people!" Mesprite was practically dancing with excitement, the opposite reaction of the four humans. "Ash's Mom is mine! And Professor Oak is Uxie's!"

"I think," said Uxie, moving to calm Mesprite, "that an explanation is in order. As Mesprite and Lugia have just said, the four of you, and others close to you, are Soul Dolls. However, this does not make you any less, or more, human than you would be otherwise. Except that your souls are actually a fraction, about half, of the soul of a Legendary Pokemon."

"But, why?" Chris managed.

"Let me answer this, Uxie," Kyogre requested. Uxie nodded, and Kyogre continued. "Remember that conversation we had, back after we first met, when we were going to meet Professor Oak?"

"Yeah," Gloria said guardedly. "You said that as a Legendary Pokemon, ancient and unique, you wouldn't experience love, and stuff like that."

"Yes, that's exactly it. _As a Legendary Pokemon, _I can't experience love, or other things that only mortals can. But, with part of my soul housed in a human, that part of me would get to experience those things. I did not speak of this then, as it is a closely guarded secret among the Legendary Pokemon. Even regular Pokemon did not know of it."

"We had more than a few arguments with Mewtwo about that," Lugia said. "Before we accepted him as Legendary, he had read minds to find out about the Soul Dolls. So more than once, we had to intercede to prevent him from trying it. Because read our minds as he might, he couldn't emulate everything. However, since we have indeed accepted him as a new Legendary Pokemon, the youngest of an ancient breed, he now has his own Soul Doll."

"Who?" the humans asked in unison.

"I believe that you have all met her. Sabrina, from Saffron City." The four humans stared at Lugia. No wonder Sabrina was the most powerful human psychic in the world!

"I remember how she was when we first met her," Ash said. "Man, was she creepy!"

"Hey, you weren't the one that she turned into a doll! How do you think Brock and I felt!?!"

"Yeah, but there wasn't much I could do. If her dad hadn't shown up, I would've been one, too. And if it weren't for Haunter…"

"He was trouble, but things worked out." Misty then smiled. "She's really changed, over the years since then."

"She must have," Gloria commented. "She was nothing like that when we met her."

"Yeah. She was nice, she was caring, and she helped save our lives," Chris added.

"Yeah, the old Sabrina probably would have just left you there to bleed," Misty said. "She always creeped me out when she came to meet with my sisters about Gym Leader stuff. Scared them, too, though they didn't admit it back then. But the three of them are pretty good friends with her now."

Uxie looked at the humans. He was glad that the mood in the room was lightening as the term set in. Once they calmed down and he had their attention, he continued, sounding for all the world like a college lecturer. "Now, something I'm expecting some of you may have been thinking is whether or not this is tied to your powers. Well, as a matter of fact, yes it is. While we usually lock our powers when we craft a Soul Doll, although sometimes there is a leak. A few things can cause this. In Sabrina's case, it is because she also had the genetic propensity to be a psychic, like both of her parents. As she grew, Mewtwo's soul awakened part of its latent power, and increased her abilities far beyond most people. This was also aided by the fact that it is Mewtwo's first time, and he hasn't perfected the locks and such yet. Something else that may trigger an upsurge of power is the Soul Doll being in close contact with their Legend. So, Misty, your now-awakened water powers are much stronger in Lugia's presence than away from him. As would be Ash's Fire powers near Ho-oh."

"Wait, Ho-oh? Cool!" Ash shouted. "We saw him our first day out on our journey, remember, Pikachu."

"We didn't have a clue who he was, but yeah," Pikachu agreed.

"He was checking on you," Lugia said calmly. "He wasn't sure if you'd make it, with how headstrong you were at that age, and starting with someone who wasn't listening yet."

"Hey, I got to know him!" Pikachu protested.

"I said 'yet', Pikachu." Lugia said plainly. "Now, you two have one of the strongest bonds I've ever seen between Pokemon and Trainer."

"There is also a third main cause for power leaking. Crisis. This is what has awakened the power in the four of you. For Ash and Misty, it was captivity. For Chris and Gloria, it was fighting Team Rocket, combined with their previous knowledge of their fighting styles." The other Legendary Pokemon nodded in agreement.

"Hey, so if they've got Ho-oh and Lugia, who do we have?" Chris and Gloria asked together.

"That…is part of the problem…" came the reply from Uxie. "Because you are blessed by Dialga and Palika. That…is something important enough for us to violate more protocols than I can think of. Since Cyrus plans to control Dialga and Palika for his plan, having you two in arms reach will give him another route to them."

"But we don't have a choice, do we?" Chris asked.

"Oh you have plenty of choices," Mesprite chimed in. "But most of your options you have already closed, due to the way you have chosen to lead your lives. So, it's not that you don't have a choice, it's that you've already made it."

"Yeah, that sounds about right," Misty said. "Because there's no way we're turning our backs on this."

"Besides, if we don't do something, they'll probably get Dialga and Palika anyways!" cried Gloria. "So it's not like us being there is going to make it easier for that to happen. Because we're going to stop it!"

"Wow, I'm kinda surprised not to be the most enthusiastic one in the group anymore," Ash said jokingly. "So, we're off to Mt. Coronet then, right?"

"To get to the peak, we'll have to go in through the southern caves," Lugia told them. "The passage from the northern caves is blocked off."

"Then it's a good thing that Sinnoh's Cycling Road is between here and there," Chris remarked. "You two have bikes?"

Ash and Misty shook their heads. "I've got one at home, but it's not one of the new collapsible," Misty said, referring to the bike that Ash had bought her.

"I had one as a kid, but other than that, I've just rented them the few times I've needed one since." Ash liked cycling, but he had never gotten one while he was traveling. Although his winnings that he had stored up could probably pay for one each for him and Misty.

"Well, we've found them pretty useful, so we'll get some for you guys when we get to Eterna. They're bound to have a bike shop." Chris still remembered getting his. And Conu fruits would be even more valuable now, since his home had been destroyed.

"Did you just say that you'd get us bikes, Chris?" Misty doubted that, but then again, he did have his own.

"Fruit, right Chris?" Gloria asked. Chris nodded.

"Fruit?" Ash asked.

"This is how I got my bike, too. Just give the bike shop owner a Conu fruit, maybe two, and he'll probably give us the bikes no problem. The fruits' value is probably skyrocketing, without my tribe harvesting them anymore…" Chris fell silent. Voicing that was a bit too much, and silent tears began to leak from his eyes.

"Wait, you mean that…" Ash started to ask, but stopped with a confirming glance from Gloria.

"Wiped out by Team Galactic. That's why we came here," she said sadly. The Pokemon all bowed their heads in reverence as a moment of silence fell over the group. Mesprite, being a spirit of emotion, had tears dripping from her face.

While the silence extended, Ash walked over to the lab computers, and found a console that wasn't fried. It was a standard computer, instead of the fancy ones, but that was just what he needed. He logged on to his Pokenet accounts and began to search through information. Cautiously, he went to the website for the Indigo Informant, the main Kanto newspaper, and searched for anything about Team Galactic's activity in the area. He was shocked by what he read.

Galactic attacks, Gym Leader killed 

_VERMILLION (AP)-Kanto is still shaken by the attacks by Team Galactic on every Gym not only here, but in every country. The area in Kanto that feels that hit hardest, however, is Vermillion. Newly-appointed Gym Leader Gary Oak, grandson of Professor Oak, was the only Kanto Gym Leader confirmed to have been killed in the attacks, although Misty Waterflower's whereabouts are unknown…_

Tears sprang to Ash's eyes as he looked again over the paragraph. He didn't even bother with the rest of the article yet. "Why? How could you let it happen?"

"Who let what happen?" Misty asked as she walked over. "No, Gary…" She knew how close of friends he and Ash were, especially after they stopped competing against each other as much. She had been surprised to hear that he had become a Gym Leader, or that he'd challenged the League again, for that matter. She thought that he'd given up training to become a Professor. But apparently, he had enough skill and confidence to try the League, and win. "When was the last time you talked to him?"

"Just after he was appointed there. He was going to use the facilities as a secondary lab, using some of Giovanni's old stuff, so that he wouldn't have to rely on his grandpa's stuff all the time."

By this time, Chris and Gloria had also come over, and saw the article. "Dang, I guess that we'll never get to battle him, now," Chris said.

"I guess we'll have to renege on that promise," Gloria agreed.

"You two met him?" Ash asked, curious.

"Yeah, he was in Indigo the day that we competed, being appointed the Gym Leader," Gloria told him.

"I used to hate him, when we were younger. No, hate is too strong. We were rivals, that was it. Sometimes, one or the other of us would push it too far, but in the end, that's all it was."

"He was a Soul Doll, too," Uxie said, floating behind him. "Articuno. Two others on the list of casualties are your friends May and Max, who were the Soul Dolls of Latios and Latias."

"It was my idea that the two of them switch ages for this pair of Dolls," Mesprite confided, "so that Latias, May, was older instead of Latios, Max."

"Yeah, that would probably give them a bit of insight into one another," Ash said aimlessly.

"Hey, Ash, cheer up," Misty said beside him. "I've never seen you this down before. You're always so upbeat, so forceful! Yeah, you cry when you lose someone, I remember how you've done that when your Pokemon have gone off to live somewhere else. But you always recover. You always get back up and running. Especially now that you know that their souls live on, rejoined with Latios and Latias, and Articuno, you need to keep that in mind. Remember, and move on."

"You're right, Misty. I don't have any reason to sit here and mourn, but every reason to stand up and fight! Are we ready?"

"Yeah!" everyone shouted in response.

"Then let's get going! Team Galactic is going down!"

Before leaving, they scanned through the rest of the article.

_Other confirmed deaths in the four Central countries: Johto - Falkner, Bryce. Hoenn – Norman (and family), Roxanne, Wattson. Sinnoh – Roark is the only one to be confirmed in the latest attacks, although others are still missing, and Maylene was killed last month, with no one having been appointed to take her place due to Team Galactic's hold on Veilstone._

_The Elite Four Headquarters in each of the regions have also come under attack. However, no casualties were reported in any of those attacks, due to the back-up plans in place in each of the three buildings… _

Remembering each of the names, burning them into their minds, they shut off the terminal and left the lab.

**Ok, quick Author's Note. On deviantArt, I post this with a list of everyone's Pokemon at the top of each chapter. I don't want to do this here, but I will put one at this point.**

_Current status:  
_  
_Chris:  
Kanto Champion  
Pokemon: Dragonaire  
Cubone  
Haunter  
Clefairy  
Pikachu  
Kyogre _

Gloria:  
Kanto Champion  
Pokemon: Skarmory  
Togepi  
Tamanta  
Flaffy  
Hitmontop  
Lugia

Ash:  
Orange Islands Champion  
Pokemon: Pikachu  
Torterra  
Charizard  
Blastoise  
Ambipom  
Uxie

Misty:  
Cerulean Gym Leader  
Pokemon: Starmie  
Golduck  
Kingdra  
Corsola  
Togekiss  
Mesprite  


_Also, here is an incomplete list of Spirit Dolls I have assigned so far._

_Chris-Dialga_

_Gloria-Palika_

_Ash-Ho-oh_

_Misty-Lugia_

_Max-Latios_

_May-Latias_

_Brock-Regirock_

_Lorelei-Regice_

_Jasmine-Registeel_

_Bruno-Regigigas_

_Oak-Uxie_

_Delia-Mesprite_

_Tracey-Azelf_

_Gary-Articuno_

_Lance-Rayquaza_

_Agatha-Suicune_

_Jen-Mew_

_Sabrina-Mewtwo_


	15. Cycling Road Encounter

The Legendary Pokemon returned to their Pokeballs, exhausted from their ordeal, and the trainers and their four other Pokemon

The Legendary Pokemon returned to their Pokeballs, exhausted from their ordeal, and the trainers and their four other Pokemon ran out of the Old Chateau. They didn't find anyone else along the way, except for a couple of quivering scientists who passed out when they got close.

On their way in towards Eterna City, they stopped for a rest on the bridge that crossed the pond between city and forest. "Hey, guys," Misty broke into the silence as they sat with their feet dangling in the water. "Instead of just sitting here, why not take a dip?"

"Huh? Why?" asked Ash, never much of a swimmer.

"Because it'll be fun, and relaxing," Chris replied.

"Plus, we may not get a chance to wash up in Eterna," Gloria added. "With that double-agent Joy out there, we can't really afford to spend the night in the Center."

"I was thinking more of what Chris said," Misty admitted. "But that's a good point."

"Alright, then let's do it," Ash agreed, conceding to both the majority vote and superior logic. Within moments, they were all in the water. They brought out all of their water Pokemon, too, to enjoy a swim in the pond instead of in a lab tank. They appreciated it, and the group spent nearly an hour swimming together.

"This reminds me of when I first met you, Misty," Chris commented. "We swam in the gym pool for quite a while before we started our match."

"According to Erika, you behaved similarly with her, talking about plants for longer than she realized. Normally a combatant pushes the battle, but you had the patience to hear her out." Misty nodded approvingly as she said this. Erika had become a good friend in recent years, and Misty had been glad to hear that someone had actually heard her out before battle. "She'd probably be a big help in getting the groves back on your island back in shape, once this is over," she added. Chris nodded, realizing that she probably would be, with her knowledge of plants.

By the time that they were done in the pond, the sun was rising. After leaving the Pokemon Center near sunset last night, dawn now found them on the edge of Eterna City. They could see the charred ruins of Gardenia's Gym even from across town. Having gone the night without sleep, they decided that the clearing there, near the pond and cornered against the branches of Mt. Coronet, would be a good place to stop and rest. They did so in shifts, Ash and Misty taking the first watch, then swapping with Chris and Gloria, always keeping two people awake at all times.

Around midday, at a shift swap, they all headed into town for a bit, to take care of a few errands. First, they got Ash and Misty their bikes. As Chris had guessed, one Conu fruit had been more than enough for the two bikes. They also grabbed some lunch, stopping at a nice restaurant near the burned-out gym. They were in for a bit of a shock, when…

"Gardenia?" Misty question softly of their green-haired waitress.

"I heard that she disapp…oh, Misty, it's you," Gardenia whispered, relieved. "Yeah, I'm hiding right under their noses, for now. I'm glad to see you're alright."

"I didn't know that they'd made such a fuss about me being gone. I'll let them know later that I'm alive." Misty suddenly got serious. "What was it like?"

"Horrible. I got out, but not all of the girls did. Nor did all of my Pokemon…" Tears appeared in Gardenia's eyes as she thought of her fallen friends. "What about you?"

Misty gave her a short version of her travels since the attack, from her meeting with Ash, to coming to Sinnoh, to meeting Chris and Gloria, and finally the previous night in Eterna Forest.

"I knew that they were there, but I…couldn't do a thing. And when they attacked…" Gardenia's tears continued to flow. "Good luck with your plans, guys." Gardenia wiped the tears from her eyes and walked into the kitchens. The four of them quickly ate the food that she brought, and headed back to their campsite, leaving her a generous tip. With her Gym gone, so was her livelihood, at least for a while, and the Sinnoh League was probably in too much disarray to do much for her. Misty realized that she was in the same position, but she had a lot saved up, as did Ash, so they could pool their resources if things got tight.

After lunch, they shifted the watch shifts, with Ash and Chris staying up first, and then Misty and Gloria. By mid-afternoon, however, none of them could fall asleep on their rest shifts anymore, so they decided it was time to go, and they headed south on Cycling Road. However, they didn't get far before they arrived at a roadblock. It was incomplete, but it did cut off half of the road.

A woman with long pink hair was directing traffic. "Move along, please. This half of the bridge was damaged when Team Galactic attacked the Eterna Gym."

"Jessie! Alright, where's James?" Misty shouted, stopping and grabbing her Pokeballs.

"Did someone call?" James said, poking his head out of the hole in the road. "Oh! Ash, Misty! Good to see you again! Who are the other two?"

"Good? Good!" Misty nearly shrieked until Ash took her hand.

"Calm down, Mist. It's alright," Ash said calmly. "James, these are Chris and Gloria, recent Kanto Champions." Jesse and James nodded, indicating that they recognized the names. "So, you've had the baby, Jesse?"

"Ah, yeah, ex-twerps, I did. Jemma is right over there." Jesse pointed to a stroller off to the side, out of the way. Meowth was sitting next to it. "She's six months old, now."

"Wait, what?! Ok, I'm really lost. Can someone fill me in?" Misty asked, her head spinning from this complete reversal of what she expected.

"Well, Misty, we finally got canned about two years ago," James started.

"Canned? He practically killed us gettin' us outta his office!" Meowth shouted.

"Shush! Don't wake her!" Jesse said, nearly as loud. "Anyways, we decided after that that enough was enough," she continued. "We stopped trying to be thieves, and we started a construction company."

"Well, you guys always were good at digging," Misty said halfheartedly, a sweatdrop running down her cheek.

"It was then that James really pulled a fast one on me," Jesse said after a moment. "One day, he suddenly just hands me a ring, asking me to marry him!"

"I'd actually had it for years, but I never had the nerve…" James admitted.

"Anyways, after that, they got married, and when I last ran into them, what, nearly a year ago, Jesse was pregnant with little Jemma there," Ash finished.

"I had started to wonder why you hadn't jumped us in the couple of weeks that I've been back with Ash," Misty mused. "I'm just so used to you two being on Team Rocket, that I didn't really think that you'd be otherwise."

"Well, after we got fired, we thought about it for a bit," Jesse said.

"The only times that we ever won were when we were helping you guys," James added.

"So we figured that we ought'ta just try goin' straight," Meowth finished.

"How's business, anyways?" Ash asked.

"Pretty good," James responed. "Stable, anyways, which is more than could be said about our paychecks with Team Rocket."

"Ehe, yeah, especially when I'd blow our dough on some robot," Meowth admitted.

Realizing how late it was getting, the four of them decided to stick around and have dinner with Jesse and James. They also wanted to get a chance to see baby Jemma, once she woke up. They took a service lift, which Jessie and James had brought with them for the stroller, down to the field beneath Cycling Road, and then spread out their food for dinner. Jemma woke up soon after they got down, so Jessie headed off to the side to feed her while the others got dinner ready.

"I am weaning her," Jessie said, "but she's at about fifty-fifty right now. And this time she wants me."

"Don't worry, we understand," Misty reassured her. "We'll have your dinner ready once she's done with hers."

It took about fifteen minutes for everything to be ready, by which time Jessie was walking back over. She sat down on the blanket, and set Jemma down to crawl around. They then began to eat their dinner, consisting of rice (which James made, surprisingly), Conu fruit, and some Cinnabar Trout.

"Ah, these dishes take me back to when I was young, before I ran away from home," James said wistfully. "It's the first time that I've tasted either since."

"Ooh, they're good!" Jessie exclaimed. "No wonder it costs so much to get them."

"I've…kinda got a corner on the market for these, now," Chris said, indicating the Conu fruits. "I'm the only one who knows how to tend a Conu grove properly now."

"So, then you were the only one from the island to survive the attack?" James asked, knowing the origin of the famous fruit, and the attack on the island.

"Since I wasn't there, yeah," Chris agreed. He and Gloria then shared their story over dinner.

"Man, that's rough," Meowth commented once the story was done. "So, are ya gonna go back there and tend 'dem fruits?"

"Maybe," Chris admitted. "If that's what Gloria wants. But first, we take care of Team Galactic."

"I wouldn't be opposed to that idea," Gloria said. "It'd be nice to settle down peacefully after all of this."

The conversation continued well after dinner was done, and the four travelers decided that they'd stay in Jessie and James's camp that night, and get an early start in the morning.


	16. A Cry in the Night

They ended up starting earlier than they planned. They were all awakened abruptly by Jemma crying loudly, just before dawn. "Sorry about this," Jessie apologized as she rocked her baby. "She's been sleeping through the night just fine, normally." Jessie tried to get her to calm down, but nothing seemed to work.

Suddenly she stopped abruptly, though she was still wimpering. "That's odd," James commented. "Why did she stop then?" He was answered by a slight rustling of motion in the bushes.

"Crap, they've found us!" Ash whispered insistently. He turned to Jessie and James. "You three, find cover or something, these guys are out for blood."

"Right. Back in the tent," Jessie whispered. She then ducked in, Jemma in her arms, and James close behind. "Meowth, do your thing."

"Roger!" Meowth replied before disappearing behind the tent.

As Gloria pulled on her gloves and her new claws, Chris drew his sword, and for the first time since leaving the island, remembered the second sword that his family had left him. His mother had advised him to not use it until he had trained with it, though, so he left it where it was. Unarmed, both Ash and Misty took up fighting stances, each with a Pokeball in their hands.

Another rustle in the bushes was met with a coarse whisper. "Drat, they're ready for us. The baby gave us away, dangit! Otherwise they'd all still be asleep!"

They heard a slapping sound, and then, "quiet! Now you're giving us away!"

"Look who's talking!"

"There's no way that two incompetents like them are alone," Misty cautioned, turning to face the opposite way. Gloria turned with her, and the boys shifted so that they formed a box.

"Those four have already awakened, go for the other three!" a commanding voice boomed as the clearing jumped to life, sounding like it came from everywhere at once. Ranks of Grunts, bright yellow Gs standing out in the night, poured from the bushes, some throwing Pokeballs, others wielding guns. Misty threw up a wall of ice to block any bullets from her direction, but found surprisingly few.

"They're going for the tent!" Gloria shouted as she and Chris broke from the box to get in close. The others turned to see bullets begin to tear into the tent. Then they heard a very metallic *ping* from inside.

"Heh, I don't think we need to worry about them," Ash said as he pulled out his Pokeballs. He brought several of his Pokemon out to face off with the ones the Galactic grunts were now throwing onto the field. The others followed suit, though none of the four brought out their Legendary partners just yet.

Chris flinched as a bullet grazed his arm, the gunners now realizing that their shots at the tent weren't doing anything. Quickly closing the distance, he began slicing barrels off of guns, taking out the biggest threats on the field at the moment. Gloria worked similarly on the far side of the clearing, crushing guns and breaking bones with her hands and legs.

"Break out the artillery!" the unseen Commander shouted. A dull thud followed a moment later, and then Ash shot a fireball skyward, only to detonate in a huge explosion as it hit the incoming mortar round.

"We'll keep watch for those," he called, "you two keep that up!" More distant thuds, and then Misty shot a barrage of icicles that detonated another pair of mortars, while Ash destroyed a third.

Their Pokemon, meanwhile, had split into groups to face the Pokemon that the Grunts had sent onto the field, mostly Clefairies. "Don't hurt them too much!" Chris's Clefairy called to her teammates.

"I don't think we need to hurt them at all," Ash's Pikachu commented. Indeed, the Pokemon began to turn on their trainers, not wanting to be party to the destruction of the world.

"What the? HEY!" one Grunt shouted as he realized his Pokemon weren't listening to him. "Attack them! Now!"

"Come on, Clefairy, use Meteor Mash on them!" another called. Her companion partly obeyed, using the attack on one of the other Grunts. "No, not them! Yaaaah!" she shrieked as her Clefairy slammed into her, knocking her unconscious. The same was happening around the clearing. Only a few of the Pokemon remained loyal to their trainers, and they were knocked out in short order by both their foes and their teammates.

"Rrrgh!" the Commander growled, "get those mechs out here now!" Four robots suddenly charged into the clearing from different directions, scattering the Pokemon. "Get them!" The robots began to open fire, and the four trainers found themselves on the defensive, dodging missiles and beams that were being aimed at them. Chris's sword was wrenched from his hands and flew to stick to a large magnet on one of them, which was also drawing in the mutilated guns that lay around the clearing. It also pulled on Gloria's gloves and shoes, and she found herself fighting just to keep her footing, no longer able to dodge.

"Looks like it's our turn, Meowth!" Jessie called, her voice sounding as if it came from a loudspeaker.

"Roger!" Meowth replied, and the ground began to shake. The tent suddenly tore apart as another robot emerged from it, this one shaped like a Diglett. It almost tore into the roadway above, its head lining up with the hole that they were working to patch.

"This has me wanting to recite the old motto," James commented. "Though it'd hardly be fitting."

"Meowth, that's right!" Meowth replied. "Open fire!" A cannon suddenly emerged from the top of the robot, firing a gout of flame that engulfed the magnet robot. The hastily constructed robot was unprepared for the attack, and quickly began to melt. The electro magnet shut off, releasing Chris's sword and allowing Gloria to move just in time to avoid a missile from another robot. "Now the next one!" A blast of lightning jolted out of the cannon, and the second robot exploded the way that many of their own robots had under Pikachu's power over the years.

Meanwhile, Ash and Misty were busy with a pair that seemed very intent on each of them, and were proving resistant to their attacks. "Ash, switch!" Misty called, spinning to intercept the next attack from his foe with a spear of ice to pierce its armor, which then melted to short circuit its interior. Ash turned and blasted Misty's nemesis with a gout of flame, like a Fire Spin attack, blinding it so that he could get behind it to its back, which had much thinner armor that he was able to penetrate with a flaming punch.

"All right!" Jessie shouted, and Jemma could be heard laughing in the background.

"No! Jupiter to HQ! All units down! Request backup! Repeat, request-" She was cut off by the blade poised at her throat, threatening to bite into her windpipe.

"If you live through this, you might want to talk a little softer," Chris whispered in her ear. "Though between us and them, that's doubtful."

"Wh-what?" she stammered, letting her wrist with her communicator fall away from her mouth. A moment later its speaker crackled to life.

"No, Jupiter, I'm sorry, but your request has been denied."

"Mars! What are you-!"

"Cyrus is not at all pleased, Jupiter. He does not tolerate failure, you know." The voice on the other end, Mars, cackled.

"B-but Cyrus said-"

"Oh, yes, he said that you wouldn't need to worry about that. What with you being his favorite and all. I'm sure he'll be just _heartbroken_ to hear that you were captured and killed by our enemies."

"WHAT? How can you say that!" she shrieked, panic evident in her voice.

"Two reasons. First, with how you're shouting like that, there's no way that they can't hear you, and two," Mars paused dramatically. "I control the detonator."

"Noooo!" Jupiter cried. "Get it off! Get it off!"

"Goodbye, Jupiter. Hopefully you can at least take one or two of them with you."

Mars laughed again, though Chris could barely hear it over Jupiter's cries. Using his free hand to hold her arm still, he shifted his sword to aim it at the communicator, and sliced it off. Gloria caught it and threw it as hard as she could, and they all dove for cover, protecting themselves from the blast just moments later. They were bathed in heat from the explosion, and floored by the force, and they could only imagine what it would've been like if they hadn't gotten rid of it.

Jupiter was sobbing uncontrollably, wondering if she had been spared from one fate only to fall into a worse one.

"Well, what do we do with her?" Gloria asked as she grabbed Jupiter's hands, pinning her to the ground.

"Get her face out of the dirt, first of all," Chris replied. Gloria relaxed her grip and helped Jupiter into a sitting position; she now had streams of mud down her cheeks from her tears mixing with the dirt.

"Let's let her calm down a bit, and then we can ask her a few questions," Misty added as she and the others approached. Ash and Meowth were already in conversation as they approached.

"Nah, I never said we was done with robots, just that we weren't blowin' most of our dough on 'em anymore," Meowth was saying to Ash.

"Still, that one is pretty impressive. Seems stronger than your old ones, especially its attacks."

"Well," James replied, "There's a reason for that. And seeing what you two did before, I think it's safe to tell you."

"Wait, huh?" Misty asked, turning back around to look at him.

"It's probably easier to show you than say anything," Jessie said. Holding Jemma in one arm, she stretched out the other one, and a flame appeared above it, causing Jemma to giggle. She then blew a spit bubble, that became a whole spray of bubbles, blowing out and hitting Jupiter, rinsing the mud from her face and plastering her hair to her head. James had a few small lightning bolts bounce between his hands as well.

"Whoa, all three of you?" Gloria asked, amazed.

James nodded. "I was the first one to have it happen, when we were attacked by a Crobat, so I thought that it might've just been from having been shocked so much by Pikachu over the years. But when Jess was able to fling a fireball to get an Ariados away from Jemma, we figured that it was something more. And when she first used Bubblebeam like that to scare off a Houndour the other night, we knew for sure something special was going on, though we're still not sure what."

"Meowth has always been good with machines," Jessie continued, "and given time and a better budget, he was able to make a robot that can use our powers as its weapons. We haven't tried with Jemma's water powers yet, though, with how small she is."

"Well, we can explain a bit of why you've got your powers, at least," Chris replied. He then pointed his sword at Jupiter. "And she might be able to tell us why Galactic is after people like us."

The shock of the Bubblebeam had finally gotten Jupiter to calm down, at least as calm as she could be with Gloria still holding her arms behind her back. "So, I guess that you three have awakened after all. Though from where I stand now, that's not exactly a good thing."

"Why is that?" Misty asked. "What's so important about us awakening?"

"It's all part of Cyrus's grand plan," Jupiter replied. "Y'know, you don't have to restrain me like that. There's no way I can go back now, anyways. Mars was right, Cyrus wouldn't take me back now, even if he heard that transmission. Perhaps especially if he did; with how panicked I was, demoting me would be the most gentle treatment he'd give." She began crying softly again, and Gloria felt her go completely limp, no struggle at all.

"Alright, I'll let go," she said carefully, letting her hands drop. "But we're keeping a close eye on you."

"I guess I should expect as much," Jupiter replied mournfully. "There are a few reasons that I was rigged with that detonator, though; I know far too much for them to let me fall into enemy hands. And I've got a few things that you'll find useful, I think." She began to pull out various devices from her pack. "This is how we found you," she said as she pulled out what looked like a handheld radar. "While you were at the lab in Eterna Forest, we got full scans of your energy signatures, which allowed us to find the common signature between people who are Soul Dolls and those who aren't. Though it seems that its reading on if one has awakened their power or not isn't quite right."

"Wait, Soul Dolls? What the heck are those?" Jessie asked roughly.

"Like us, Jessie," Ash said. "We're human vessels for portions of the souls of Legendary Pokemon."

"Exactly," Jupiter interjected, "which is why you are so valuable to Cyrus. For his plan to work, all of the Soul Dolls, though he's called them Ties as well, need to be either awakened to their power, or destroyed."

Anger flared in Misty's eyes, and the only reason she didn't start pummeling Jupiter was because Ash noticed and was holding her back. "Is that why you attacked all of the gyms?!" she nearly shrieked.

"Partly," Jupiter admitted. "Though it was also to destabilize the government; that kind of chaos will make Cyrus's plans much easier to execute. The fact that many of the Leaders were Soul Dolls is coincidental. Or perhaps not. It may be that that link helped them to be strong enough to become Gym Leaders." Misty relaxed as she thought about what Jupiter said, thinking of just what all it meant.

"Good point," Chris commented. "Most of the Soul Dolls that we know of are very strong trainers, or leaders in another way, like the professors."

"Heck, even Jessie and James are fairly good trainers, overall," Ash added. "If you hadn't been so focused on us over the years, you probably could've done fairly well for yourselves."

"Well, we were one of the top ranked Kanto teams back before we met you," James recalled.

"Which is probably the only reason that Giovanni kept us around as long as he did," Jessie agreed. "And I guess that means that our little Jemma has potential to do well, too."

"Yeah, probably, at least if Cyrus doesn't get his way," Jupiter agreed sadly.

"What else can you tell us?" asked Gloria, who was taking the claws off of her shoes to put them away.

"Well, Cyrus didn't tell me everything—I don't think that he's told anyone all of his plans—but here's what I do know." She pointed at Chris and Gloria. "You two specifically have been tagged as targets. Dialga and Palkia, and through them Giratina, are the keys to his overall plan. Somehow, their powers will allow him to rule the world, though he's never been specific about how."

"How does he know this much, anyways?" Misty asked. "I mean, the legends I can understand, but how does he know so much about Soul Dolls?"

The group was surprised by Lugia suddenly appearing in the clearing, ejecting himself from his Pokeball. "Because he is one, too," Lugia stated, a dark overtone to his voice. "We have just realized ourselves that he is Darkrai's Soul Doll, and that Darkrai is working with him; we thought him contained, but it would seem that he was not."

The others fell silent, thinking about the implications of Darkrai being loose and striking out like this. Even Jemma had fallen silent, though in her case it was because she had fallen back asleep. Jupiter was finally the one to break the silence. "Darkrai is the being of nightmares, isn't he?" Lugia nodded in answer to her question. "That would explain all of the bad dreams I've had lately, then. And not just me, but many members of the team. But Doctor Charon said it was just because of the extra strain being put on us by our recent missions."

"Then Deoxys is in on this as well," Kyogre boomed as he appeared. Uxie and Mesprite popped out as well. "I've never trusted him, myself."

"His otherworldly origin has always been questionable," Uxie agreed.

"And he's strong enough that he could've gotten Darkrai loose," Mesprite added glumly. "Oh, why did he have to come to OUR planet?"

"Wait, I thought that Pokemon were from space anyways," Gloria commented.

"Some of us are, including anyone that requires a Moon Stone to evolve," Clefairy said, bouncing onto Chris's shoulder.

"There are others as well," Uxie said, nodding in agreement with Clefairy. "But the majority of species originate here, through many sources of origin. There are even some that are human in origin, such as Voltorb and Porygon. But even I do not know all of these origins."

"That's fine," Ash reassured him, glad that they wouldn't have to hear out his lecture. "By the way, who are these three tied to?"

"Zapdos, Moltres, and Phione," Uxie replied, indicating James, Jessie, and Jemma in turn.

"Moltres? You mean I have the powers of Moltres?" Jessie asked, astonished. She then thought of her baby, blessed or cursed with the power of Phione. "What all does this mean?"

"Less for you than these four," Kyogre replied. "Especially Chris and Gloria, being tied to Dialga and Palkia. But that hardly means you are out of the picture."

"You could come along with us, but I'd suggest that you may want to go into hiding, though," Chris added. "I mean, we saw tonight that they're not necessarily going to leave you alone, and you've got a baby to think about."

"We can go undaground!" Meowth shouted. "Literally!"

"Ah, yes!" James agreed. "Our Diglett tank should be a great place to hide!"

"It'll be bad for business if we have to renege on our contract," Jessie pointed out, "but we could probably just delay it until things calm down."

"In the morning, we'll set up the concrete barriers, and then we'll be good, I think," James concluded.

"So, now, then?" Meowth asked, indicating the brightening sky.

Jessie and James laughed, then agreed that it was probably the best idea. They walked back into the main camp, and soon the others could hear the tank moving again.

Misty just sighed. "It'll take a while for me to get used to them leaving without blasting off."


	17. Beneath the Bridge

Once Jessie and James left, the others went back to questioning Jupiter. "So, what else do you know?" Gloria asked, much softer than earlier. "And, why did you join Galactic in the first place?"

"That one is easy enough," Jupiter replied. "I wanted power, and they were offering it. Those are their main lures, power and money, and there are plenty of people who will go for that. Not to mention a lot of petty criminals, some of which we broke out of prison. The Rockets, Magmas, and Aquas were much the same, though both the Magmas and Aquas tried to portray themselves as benevolent and wanting to make change for the greater good, and as you two know, the Aquas were pretty successful with that. And with Archie gone, that element took over, and the criminals all slipped away. Most joined us."

"Yeah, we'd figured as much," Chris commented. "I heard that the Magmas actually directly teamed up with you, though."

"We'd been after alliances with the other teams for a long time, but their leaders wouldn't have it. Then Archie and his followers joined the Rockets, once you took over, and that was enough to get Maxie to join us. From what I hear, he doesn't regret the decision, even with the other two teams dismantled."

"I wouldn't be surprised to hear that they're getting closer to capturing Groudon, now that they've got more manpower and research ability," Misty surmised. "Hey, Ash, you awake?"

"Huh?" Ash said as she jolted him back to the conversation.

"You've been quiet for a while, Ash," Misty commented. "I just want to know why."

"I was just thinking; how many other people that we know are tied to Legendary Pokemon?" The other humans nodded in agreement, and turned to their partners.

"I need you to open your minds to me, then," Lugia replied, "so that I can find the people connected to you." They all nodded, and opened themselves to Lugia's powers. "You know all four of the Regis; your friend Brock, Lorelei and Bruno of the Elite Four, and Jasmine of the Olivine Gym. And your friend Tracey is tied to Azelf."

"I think I can guess who is which," Ash commented. "And I'm not surprised, about Brock at least."

"We should see if Tracey is still with Professor Oak," Misty commented. "Since he and your mom are also part of this."

"Ash, your friend Dawn is Cresselia's Soul Doll, and the Dragon Master Lance is connected to Rayquaza," Lugia continued. "And the current Champions in both Hoenn and Sinnoh, Stephen and Cynthia, are tied to Jirachi and Giratina. Chris, Gloria, your friends Jen and Rick are connected to Mew and Manaphy, respectively."

"Wow, that's a little surprising," Gloria said. "Though when I think about how Jen was able to hold that room in Sylph, I can see more of why."

"Rick's not a big surprise, though," Chris added. "I mean, think of all the stuff he's done, and done for us."

"I hope that Dawn and her mom are alright," Ash whispered.

Lugia seemed to be done, but spoke once more. "Ah, I found the Dolls of my friends, Raikou, Entei, and Suicune; Wattson and Flannery of Hoenn, and Candice here in Sinnoh. Erika is tied to Celebi, and Gardenia is tied to Shaymin."

"Well, that'd explain what happened last night." The humans jumped, turning to see Gardenia step out of the shrubbery. A girl with long black hair was with her, and was limping.

"Candice!" Ash called. "What are you doing way down here?"

The girl with Gardenia looked up, and they saw tears in her eyes. "Snowpoint City…its been destroyed…" The others were stunned by the news. "They left the ruins alone, or they were when I left, but there's not a single other structure still standing. And the harbor may never be usable again, with all of the sunken ships…we're just fortunate that as many survived as they did. The Galactics seemed content with just destroying the structures, perhaps trusting that the elements would likely finish us off."

"Where are the others?" Misty asked. "Did they come with you?"

"Most of the way, yeah. We split up eventually, though, some going to Celestic Town while others followed me to Eterna."

"She met me at the restaurant," Gardenia continued. "I was taking her to the apartment I'm renting when some Galactic Grunts found us, too. And, well…" not finding words to say what she wanted, she demonstrated instead, spraying Razor Leaf into the ground a little ways away. It was chased by an Ice Shard attack from Candice. "And we…" tears began rolling down her face.

"We know how you feel," Ash and Misty said together, and each demonstrated their own powers.

"Why is it that we don't have elemental skills like that?" Gloria asked Chris.

Chris shrugged. "Because we awakened in a different way, I guess. Instead of gaining new techniques, we were able to refine ones we already knew."

"Exactly," Lugia replied. "That, and Dialga and Palkia don't want their abilities to control Time and Space to leak at all, and have their strongest guards on them. It's also why Misty has water abilities, instead of psychic; she was already attuned with water, and I have my tightest guards on my psychic powers."

"Huh. I'd kind of wondered," Misty commented. She then wrapped her arms around both Gardenia and Candice. "I know it hurts, even though they would've done the same to you, or worse. But remember that it WAS to defend yourselves. It'll help, at least a little." They both heard the quiver in her voice; she was still hurting, too. They took comfort in that, and did their best to wipe away their tears.

"Hey, while we're here," Gardenia said as she got back in control, "we should warn you that the south end of Cycling Road is blockaded by more Galactic Grunts. We were able to see them from a distance, fortunately, and turned back this way, since the only good way to the ground from the road is the service lift your friends have set up."

"Hopefully we'll be able to get past them from down here," Candice added, "though between all of us, we should be fine if they do spot us." After her initial shock, Candice was getting back to her normal self. "Though we might want to practice a little, at some point, and this area down here seems pretty good for it."

"As long as none of my former cohorts show up, yeah," Jupiter agreed. Then her countenance dropped. "Meaning that you just need to decide what to do with me, now."

Gardenia and Candice noticed Jupiter for the first time, though they wisely avoided shouting about it. "Why isn't she tied up or something?" Candice whispered to Misty, who was still standing close to her.

"She's disarmed and surrounded by enemies," Misty replied.

"She looks broken, too," Gardenia added. "She wasn't anything like this when she attacked my gym." Tears returned to Gardenia's eyes, thinking of her friends that couldn't make it out of the building; she'd only escaped by having her Pokemon break a hole in the back wall. If she ever rebuilt the gym, she was going to have a much safer floor plan.

"She was leading the attack?" Misty asked loudly. "I'm surprised you're not trying to tear her head off!"

"Yeah, I'm sure you would be, Misty," Candice retorted. "You're quite a hot-head for a water trainer."

"She almost did, earlier," Ash told her as he approached. They had attracted the attention of the rest of the group, now. "It was a struggle to hold her back."

Misty actually laughed at that, and others joined her. "You know that I could've gotten her anyways, if I'd wanted to."

"Okay, Misty, that tone was almost as creepy as Clefairy's grin when we were interrogating that guy in the Chateau," Chris called, and even though no one else had actually seen it, they laughed anyways.

Except for Misty. She turned to face him, a truly frightening look on her face. Chris nearly fell over backing away from her, which then made everyone else laugh harder. "What were you saying?" she asked menacingly.

"Ugh, I can't even tell what would be the right answer here!" Chris said, slightly panicked.

"That's because there isn't one, dear," Gloria laughed. "Hey, Clef! Looks like Misty wants a staring contest!"

"Oooh, that could be fun!" Clef cheered as she jumped up on his head. "Aaah, nice one, Misty. Let's see…"

Misty actually jumped back when Clefairy flashed her evil grin at her. "Waah! That is scary! Especially since it's coming from you!" The others just nodded in agreement, being stunned into silence. Finally Clef couldn't hold it any more, and she burst out laughing, tumbling down Chris's back when she lost her balance. Then everyone was laughing, even Jupiter.

"I thought that it looked like his eyes were on you when he freaked out," Gloria said as she regained her breath. "Now I understand why."

"That creepy of a smile does NOT belong on that cute of a face," Gardenia agreed.

"And you guys haven't seen how strong she is," Chris commented. "Otherwise you'd really freak out."

"No way, seriously?" Candice asked, astonished. "That's pretty cool. I'd like to see that later."

"You probably will," Jupiter interjected. "Team Galactic won't just leave us alone, that's not how they work."

"When did 'you' become part of 'us'?" Misty asked coldly.

"Calm down, Mist!" Ash told her as he moved to intercept her if she did anything rash.

"I'm not making myself part of your group," Jupiter replied, "I'm just saying that they won't leave any of us alone, whether travelling together or separate. And Gardenia…I'm sorry, I truly am. I know that there's nothing I can do to repay for the damage me and my team caused. I think that the screams from the Gym will haunt me forever, though."

The others all paused, each now having their own moments that haunted them already, and likely would continue to, and they relived them in their minds in that moment.

"So, does this make us a group of seven, then?" Gardenia asked, what seemed like an hour later. "I mean, if you four don't mind us tagging along."

"You'd hardly be tagging along, Gardenia," Misty replied. "Especially if we take some time to practice, like Candice suggested."

"If Gardenia supports you coming along, I'm hardly one to say no," Gloria said to Jupiter. "Now, how well do you know how to fight?"

They all called their Pokemon back to their Pokeballs, though Chris hesitated before calling Kyogre back. "Hey, you've never told us who your Soul Doll is," he commented.

"It's because I don't have one right now. Nor does Groudon. Though I do have a vessel in mind," he said mysteriously. Knowing he'd get no more from him, Chris called him back into his ball and joined the others.

It turned out that Jupiter could fight very well, when she kept her cool. She admitted during their practice that she was actually scared of the dark, which was why she'd had such a hard time that night. After spending some time training with Gloria, she helped both Misty and Candice learn how to fight with a knife, something they both created easily and that she knew how to use very well. They had bandaged and poultice Candice's leg, and with a little healing energy from Lugia she was feeling much better than when they'd limped into camp. Chris worked sword fighting with Ash and Gardenia, though he had Ash use his second sword so that a flame sword wouldn't burn the other weapons. After Gloria finished working with Jupiter, she started working with Ash on his martial skills, and so Chris started working on using both swords together, first with Gardenia, and then on his own, feeling out the balance so that he could be effective in battle. He quickly came to appreciate their warning that he practice with them first, since he hit himself more than once.

After a while, Gloria came over, and the two of them sparred together. It went much as it had at professor Oak's lab, with the two of them always knowing when an attack was coming, and either avoiding or blocking it. And like last time, Gloria ended up smacking Chris with her braid, though he was slightly more ready for it this time, so it didn't really hurt.

When they finally stopped, they realized that the rest of the group had also stopped, and were watching them. "Now I see how you two were able to wreak so much havoc," Jupiter commented.

"Yeah, seeing it on video is nothing compared to seeing it in person," Candice added.

"I'm pretty sure that you two don't need any elemental skills," Ash remarked, remembering what they'd talked about earlier. "You've got plenty of special power right there."

"I almost wonder if they do have a small degree, actually," Gardenia observed. "I mean, you two might not realize it, but you were moving super fast!"

"Yeah, it was hard to keep track of you two, sometimes," Misty told them. "I wouldn't be surprised if there was a bit of warping of time and space there to help that out."

Chris and Gloria just stared at each other. It had indeed felt like they were moving at normal speed, if not a little slow. But instead of feeling glad, worry tugged at both of their eyes. Did this mean that they'd need to use those abilities soon? And what would bring on that need?

Instead of looking back at the others, Gloria looked up before saying anything. "Hey, looks like it's about midday. Do we want to grab something to eat?"

"And then we can move on after lunch," Chris agreed. The others also thought that that was a good idea, so they broke out their supplies, and shared a meal together.

"NO WAY!" Candice shouted when she saw the Conu fruit. "Those are so hard to get up north, but they're my favorite!"

"And that's Cianwood Trout, isn't it?" Gardenia said, barely keeping herself from drooling. "I love those!"

"Oh, wow! I've only had either of these once, at special meetings," Jupiter remarked. "But you two almost make a habit out of eating like this, it seems."

"That's because at home, we would," they both said. They blinked, realizing that it had been a while since they'd done that. Though they were pretty sure that that was coincidental. The others laughed, having heard it during some of the interviews and such. Plus Ash and Misty had done the same thing, earlier.

"These grew in my family's orchard," Chris told them, indicating the fruit.

"And since I live on Cianwood, well, you get the picture," Gloria added. "Looks like this will use up the last of what I have with me. Which is good, because now it won't go bad."

They set about preparing the food, adding in ingredients the others provided. Jupiter even had some berries to contribute, though a couple of the others were doubtful until she ate a couple of them. They ended up with a fair feast, with quite a lot of variety all told.

"Enjoy, because this might be the last good meal we get for a while," Gloria commented once everything was ready. "Oops, sorry, didn't mean for that to sound so down."

"No big," Ash replied. "It's a good point." The others agreed, too, and there was still a cheerful attitude in the air as they ate. They took the advice to heart, though they all hoped that she was wrong, and not just for the sake of their stomachs.


End file.
